The Darkside of Star Fox: The Great Sauria War
by SmashFan2005
Summary: This tale follows the story of Nikki, the newest member of Star Wolf. After a terrifying bombing, she's thrust into an unfamiliar and violent world. The fate of the entire Lylat system rests on her shoulders. Can she stop the upcoming war? Adv sequel
1. One Year After Aparoid Invasion

Hi everyone. SmashFan here with an all new, original fan-fic. This fan-fic has had over one year of history around it so I hope you all enjoy it. It follows the story of one of my original Star Fox characters, Nikki Grant. As you'll soon discover, she's an arctic fox, approximately nineteen years old. She has no memory of her past. As the fic progresses, she'll slowly remember more and more about it.

Anyway, despite the errors in this story, many people have enjoyed it. I hope you all will too. :)

Lastly, **THIS FAN-FIC DOES NOT TAKE SF: COMMAND INTO ACCOUNT**

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**Prologue: 1 year after the Apariod Invasion**

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It's dark... very dark. My ears are ringing, my head is throbbing. I can feel my heart pounding, I can't see a thing...

''_Where am I?_' I think to myself. '_I can't remember anything..._'

I start to open my eyes, very slowly. I begin to see a faint ray of light. It's getting brighter every second. I begin to see outlines of objects. Everything is blurry... I hear a scream... I think it was me... I feel incredibly sick and dizzy.

I suddenly realize that people are all around me. My vision becomes clearer as I realize that most of them are covered in white coats. They're wearing some sort of masks.

"I need a extra doctor in here!" I hear someone yell.

'_Doctor? What the hell are they doing to me?_' I think to myself as I let out another scream.

"We need to get this girl into surgery right away," another person shouts. "she is bleeding to death!"

I suddenly realize that I'm being held down by two people, one at each side of me. I struggle for breath, my chest hurts. I continue to scream, both in pain and in terror.

"Put her out before she hurts herself!" I hear a third person yell.

I feel pain shoot up my arm... I scream for the third time and I fade out of consciousness...

***

It's quiet now... very very quiet. I feel my chest rise and fall. I hear a slow, rhythmic beeping noise. I suddenly feel very cold and I begin to shiver.

I hear a voice right next to me say, "Oh dear, your getting chilled... I'll go and grab you a extra blanket, 'k hon?"

I slowly open my eyes halfway, just in time to see a female dingo in a gray coat and pants walk out of the room.

I turn my head and face the ceiling when it suddenly occurs to me. I must be in a hospital.

'_Why am I in a hospital?_' I think to myself. '_Gahh, I can't remember anything... why can't I remember?_'

I open my mouth to breath but my throat feels like it's on fire.

'_Breathe through you nose,_' I tell myself. '_It's less painful._'

The nurse walks back into my room, with a thick blanket in her hands. It's blue and it looks like it is hand-woven because it has a beautiful picture of an ocean stitched into it.

"My name is Fran, I'll be your night-shift nurse hon." She says as she covers me with the blanket.

"My throat.... hurts..." I manage to croak out.

Saying those few words is very difficult because it feels like a knife is jammed in my throat. Fran walks to the other side of my bed, grabs the pitcher from the table, and begins to pour a glass of cold water.

"Here," She says in a worried manner as she puts a straw in the cup. "drink through the straw or it may make it worse..."

As I try to raise my right hand, my whole arm begins to tremble with weakness. I gasp lightly in surprise. I am shocked at not only how heavy my arm feels but what it looks like is surprising to me. My whole arm is covered in pure white fur, including my hand. Although the fur is less dense on it. My fingers are tipped with pale blue claws, short but sharp.

"Don't worry about it hon," Fran says with a concerned sigh. " I'll help you."

She holds the top of the cup next to my mouth, and I take a few small gulps out of the straw. I slowly lay my arm back down as I drink. I can only take a little bit more before I need to stop because it hurts to swallow.

After she sets the cup back down on the table, she waits for me to say something.

"I.... do not remember anything... or who I am." I manage to say in a strained voice.

"The doctor said you might experience temporary amnesia." She replies. " You've suffered a concussion."

She has a weary, almost sad, look on her face as she continues. She starts to speak in bits and pieces. "You were on a transport vessel.... It was attacked by pirates this morning... And it fell back down to Corneria City, crushing several buildings... six hundred have been found dead so far today..."

Fran begins to cry softly as I feel an immense wave of sorrow shoot through me.

'_Six hundred? Dead?_' I ponder softly. '_I can't even imagine how many people that really is..._'

Fran wipes away the tears from her eyes before continuing. "The rescuers who found you believe that you are a soldier for the Cornerian army because they found you in a high security sector of the ship. You were also wearing a standard Cornerian uniform and had a blaster in your possession."

I couldn't believe the words that I was hearing. Soldier? Blaster? High security? All of these things didn't make much sense to me, it didn't sound like me at all. Then again, I have no idea who I am anyway.

There is a knock on my room door as it opens.

Another nurse walks in the room and says. "I'm sorry Fran but this patient has a visitor. I'm gonna have to ask you leave for a few minutes."

"Okay, that's fine Ralph, I'll leave." Fran says as she stands up and walks out of the room.

I slowly turn my head to the right, to face my visitor. I see him standing in the doorway. His arms are crossed and he's leaning on the door.

"I'm glad your alive," he says in a deep voice. "I thought that you had gone down with the rest of them."


	2. Mission Failure

This is chapter 1, obviously. I apologize for any errors, this chapter is over a year old. Despite my best efforts I'm sure that there are still a few lurking around... nasty little buggers.

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**Chapter 1: Mission Failure**

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Audio Log #1: Recorded by Captain Arle on October 2nd 2352. 9:08 Cornerian time. Subject: Distress Call

_**Oh my god! This is Captain Arle of the Cornerian army. We need all support ships to come to Cornerian sector fourteen! We are under attack by a massive pirate fleet! We need... oh my god they've already boarded! Can anyone hear us?**_ The sound of the captain's voice cuts out as the ships alarm system blares in the distance. After a few more minutes the captain's voice comes back online.

_**Damn there's too many of them. We need assistance right now! We won't last much longer. Wait... hold on here, somethings not right...**_ The captain's voice cuts out and is replaced by another soldier's voice.

_**Sir! they have reached sector four of the ship! They've deactivated thrusters three to eight.**_

The captain speaks again in a worried way. _**No.. they must not get their hands on-.**_ An explosion is heard in the distance as their voices are replaced with static...

***END OF RECORDING***

***

I'm staring at a tall figure. He has a medal on his uniform that I do not recognize. As he walks closer, I notice a scar near his left eye. He has a smirk on his face, almost as if he was happy, but not quite. On his belt is a blaster. He's wearing black pants, and a pale vest and shirt. With a deep sigh, he pulls up a chair from the corner of my room and sits down.

'_He must be a soldier,_' I think to myself. '_His uniform gives it away..._'

"You don't remember me... do you?" He says in an almost sarcastic manner.

I shake my head. "No... I do not," I cough out.

"My name is Wolf," he replies as he gets comfortable. " I am the leader of an elite group of mercenaries known as Star Wolf."

He said 'Wolf' with a slight grin each time, as if he was proud to say it.

"Your name is Nikki," he continues as he rubs his ear. "and I sent you here to Corneria for an... investigation."

"Investigation?" I interrupt with a hint of confusion in my voice.

"Yes," He says in a slightly raised tone. "Our team was hired to investigate a new top secret Cornerian weapon. It was being transported and guarded on that ship. Your mission was to obtain a Cornerian soldier disguise, sneak on board, and hack the weapon data from the ship's motherboard."

I take a few more sips of water and place the cup on an end table beside me.

"I was alone?" I manage to say.

"Yes," Wolf responds hesitantly. "it was supposed to be a quick and easy mission with no fatalities, so I sent you by yourself because your specialty is infiltration and stealth."

Wolf sighs deeply then keeps going. "Obviously, the mission failed. The space pirates somehow got their claws on information about the weapon. They attacked that ship so that Corneria wouldn't use the weapon against them. Pirates can be quite nasty that way."

There is a sudden knock on my door. I look to my left and I see Fran popping her head into the room. She walks in and turns towards Wolf.

"I'm sorry sir but you'll have to leave now," Fran says concernedly. "This patient needs her rest."

"Her name is Nikki," Wolf replies as he stands up. "and I'm glad to do it."

He turns to me just before leaving and says. "I'll be back to pick you up once you've recovered. Which should be in a few weeks, I'm guessing."

Without so much as a 'get well soon' or a 'have a nice day,' he makes his exit.

I suddenly notice a sharp pain in my right leg and I groan in surprise. I lift up my blanket and notice a bloodied bandage is wrapped around my leg.

'_What happened to my leg?_' I think to myself.

"Sorry," Fran says as if she just read my mind. "I forgot to give you your morphine when you woke up."

She pulls a needle out of a container that she is carrying. I cannot read what it says because my vision is still blurry. She injects the needle through a small tube in my I.V. and I feel the pain slowly decrease in my leg.

Fran keeps speaking as I breathe a sigh of relief. "When the rescue crew found you, you had a metal rod in your leg. The doctors had to do an emergency surgery or you would have bled to death slowly. Either that or your arteries would have clotted and you would have lost your leg."

As I stare at her, I'm listening intently. I am trying to understand everything that she is telling me. However I feel so overwhelmed inside that I cannot concentrate. My head is filled with questions.

What was the top secret weapon on that ship? Where is my home? Do I even have a home? How did I come to join a group of mercenaries known as 'Star Wolf'? How could a group of space pirates overtake such a huge ship that had more than six hundred passengers?

"I'm very sleepy," I manage to mumble as I close my eyes.

"It's the morphine, hon," Fran replies. "I'll let you sleep now."

"Nikki," I say, half asleep. "My name is... Nikki."

"Are you sure about that?" Fran questions.

"Yes... more than anything," I say, relieved.

And it is true. It is my name. I've never been more confident about anything. Nikki sounded... perfect. Finally I knew something, anything, that made sense. Dwelling on that one positive thought, I drift off into a peaceful sleep.


	3. Recovery and Downfall

Chapter 2, again this chapter is a year old. I hope you all enjoy. I'll post more chapters later today.

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**Chapter 2: Recovery and Downfall**

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Audio Log #2: Recorded by Fran Burstop on October 3rd 2352. 22:37 Cornerian time. Subject: Mandatory death toll report.

_**Good evening. This is an audio recording of Fran Burstop, a nurse at Cornerian General Hospital. This report has been requested by some of Corneria's Senators in response to the recent pirate attack. Up to this point the official death toll is two thousand, two hundred and fifty six people. This number has been deemed too high to release to the public because the Senate doesn't want to send the people into more panic than necessary. So we've been told to tell the tabloids that the official death toll is six hundred. Many of the survivors of this tragedy are strong willed and I really believe that they'll recover nicely. There is one victim however that stands out from the rest. She has suffered a broken leg, concussion and amnesia. Her recovery rate has been unbelievable. The first day that she came in she had several lacerations across her whole body. Now, less than two days later, they're no longer there. I'm truly awestruck by the rapid recovery of this patient and I'll submit another audio log if I find out more about her. Fran out.**_

***END OF RECORDING***

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It has been almost two weeks since the crash, when over six hundred people died on that horrible day. The death count rose in the week that followed, when more patients died from their injuries or when more of the dead were found. All of the hospital staff have been working very long hours over the past couple of weeks. I found out after the crash that about one thousand people, including me, survived it.

In the past two weeks, about seven hundred of the survivors have been dismissed from the hospital. Most of them only needed a few stitches or treatment for broken bones. I was a special case. The metal rod from that was found in my leg had torn a vital muscle. I needed nano-surgery in order to repair it. I had that surgery three days after the tragedy., and I've been spending these past couple weeks learning how to walk again. I can walk, as of two days ago, but I need a cane or some other form of support so that I can balance myself. My doctors are telling me that it will most likely take a week or two before I will learn how to walk on my own once again.

I am off morphine now, I decided to stop taking it. I don't feel like I need it anyway, since there isn't much pain anymore. Most of the time I'm pretty active around the hospital, I don't just want to sleep my days away. I volunteer my time by helping to prepare food in the cafeteria. There is also this room in the hospital that most of the other patients call 'the game room'. I usually enjoy playing checkers, chess and pool by a nearby window. It's funny how I can remember the rules about these old board games. yet I can't remember anything about my own life.

***

_I'm in some sort of huge hanger. I see quite a few armed guards around me, they're wearing uniforms with a hint of red and gray in the fabric. I can see more clearly now... I'm on my knees with my hands on top of my head. One of the guards behind me must be holding a blaster rifle, I can feel its barrel digging into my back._

_There are two in front of me. A pig and some sort of dinosaur. Both of them are smirking and snickering to themselves. The pig is fat and smelly, I can practically see the odor steaming off of him. The dinosaur beside him has yellow eyes and blood-red scales. His gazing eyes seem to pierce into me..._

_"You've betrayed our trust Nikki..." the dinosaur sneers. "our organization no longer needs you.."_

_I see the pig wave his hand and point behind me. I hear two clicks as the blaster rifle loads._

_I look back at the dinosaur and smile confidentially. "Well then... I guess I don't need you either... goodbye, Falm."_

_Before they can even react, I manage to grab the rifle aimed at my head with both hands. However, the guard behind me refuses to let go. I notice that the other two begin to unlatch blasters from their belts. I pull harder as the guard behind me finally loses his grip on his rifle. The force of pulling the rifle sends the guard behind me flying straight towards the other two. The pig and dinosaur begin to raise their blasters. As the guard collides with the other two, I hear three blaster shots. I suddenly realize that it wasn't their blasters that went off, it was my rifle. I look down and see a small cloud of smoke billowing out of the barrel, I see the three guards in front of me, motionless. I smell the stench of burnt meat..._

***

I wake up, startled and sweaty. I sit up on my bed as I wipe my tear-sodden eyes.

"Oh man..." I groan half asleep. "Another nightmare..."

That's my third one this week... I sigh again and pull my bed sheets off as I grab my cane and get out of bed. I check the room clock to my left...

'_Four fifteen_,' I tell myself. '_Perfect... just perfect._' I turn on the radio and walk towards the bathroom.

I turn on the bathroom light and I see my reflection staring back at me. When I first saw myself in the mirror a couple weeks ago I was shocked at the color of my hair. My whole body is covered in white fur, except for the hair on my head, which is black.

I run some water from the sink and splash some of it onto my face. Brr... it's always cold in the morning. I begin to roughly comb my hair with my claws but I quickly see that I'm not getting very far.

'_Nikki, you're a girl, use a real comb._' I tell myself as I pick up the comb near the sink.

The song should have ended right before I got into the shower, but I press the repeat button. I turn on the bathroom intercom so that I can listen to it. After about 30 minutes I'm clean and dressed in a pair of blue pants and a black sweatshirt.

I open the bathroom door and I notice that Fran is in my room, making my bed. I notice that she looks very tired, she's been working hard these past couple weeks. Possibly too hard.

"Here, let me help you with that," I offer as I walk toward the bed.

Fran smiles slightly. "Thanks hon."

I look at the radio clock again, I notice that the song is still playing the volume has just been turned down.

"It's four forty three. When does your shift end?" I ask her concernedly.

"In a few minutes hon, just thought that I would make your bed before I leave." she responds quickly.

As I'm helping her make the bed I glance now and again at her face. She doesn't look old, but she doesn't look young either. She looks... quite weary, as if she was powerless to stop the suffering that has occurred around her.

I open my mouth to speak but before I can say anything I hear a loud bang. I'm pushed off balance, hit the ground hard and I yelp in pain. I suddenly hear a loud alarm blaring, I smell smoke that is so thick my eyes are stinging. The music has stopped. I manage to wipe out my teary eyes and as I look around behind me I see Fran lying on the ground. She's covered in a thin layer of dust, motionless.

"Fran!" I scream as I cough through the smoke filled air.

...but there is no answer.


	4. Pirates?

Here is chapter three. Yes I know its short... after chapter six they get a lot longer.

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**Chapter 3: Pirates?**

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Audio Log #3: Conversation between two unknown people on October 14th, 2352. 19:05 Saurian time. Subject: Nikki's Extraction

A voice, sinister and deep begins to speak.

_**I assume you have made the proper arrangements in order to capture this subject alive. She's very dangerous and shouldn't be treated lightly, even in her weakened state.**_

Another voice comes in, more lighthearted but still very creepy.

**_Of coursse General. Sshe will not get away from uss thiss time. You have my word._**

_**I do not trust your word you filthy imbecile. If you fail me this time don't bother coming back to base. There will be a bounty on your head too. Remember that our spy has indicated that she is on level twelve**_.

One end of the communication link clicks off, as the disgruntled voice talks again.

_**Man... I hate my job. You'd better pay me this time Scaless, or I'll be pissed...**_

***END OF RECORDING***

***

I try to stand up... but I can't. My leg is throbbing with immense pain. I continue to groan as I hold it with my left hand. With my right hand I dig my claws into my bed sheets and pull in an attempt to get up. I begin to accidentally tear the sheets apart as I pull harder. After about a minute I finally manage to climb on top of my bed.

My leg is still very sore, but the throbbing has stopped. I grab my cane with my left hand, and with my right I look for the blaster they found on me. I open my drawer and see it shining. When I hold it, it feels awkward and unfamiliar in my fingers.

"Warning!" A computer voice beeps loudly. "Intruder detected on level eleven! Proceeding with primary lockdown! Alert! Intruder detect-" The computer voice stops abruptly.

I hear static as it continues. "Intruders no longer detected, disengaging primary lockdown."

'_They must have hacked the security system..._' I reason.

I slowly hobble toward Fran... she's still laying on the ground, motionless.

'_Fran..._' I begin to cry as I look across the room.

What I see startles me. The wall across from my bed is completely gone. It's been destroyed... I can see the morning sunlight coming in from outside. The room that was once on the other side of the wall is no longer there... several rooms are missing.

I slowly walk toward the broken wall, and I almost trip on a overturned chair. I curse loudly as I approach the wall. I start to see the immense destruction that has taken place. At least three, floors above and below me are completely obliterated. I see dusty debris floating in the air, the smell of smoke is thick. I hear screams and sirens coming from the street below.

All of a sudden I hear blaster shots and screams coming from outside my room. I almost freeze in terror, but I manage to crouch behind the chair that I nearly tripped over. I pull my blaster from my pants pocket and point it towards my room door.

'_This is crazy,_' I think to myself. '_I barely know how to fire a blaster, let alone aim one..._' I take a deep breath as I try to calm my nerves.

I hear the thudding of footsteps, they must be running. the sound of footsteps stops suddenly.

"Check the rooms!" I hear somebody bark.

I hear a banging noise, one right after the other. I feel tense.

'_They're looking for someone,_' I mumble quietly.

BANG! My door crashes open right in front of me. I see a rugged tiger, he has a skull tattoo on his right shoulder. He's snarling, he turns to me and glares.

"I found her!" He bellows.

I am filled with terror. I close my eyes and pull the trigger. I hear a scream and open my eyes again. I'm surprised to find the pirate up against the wall, motionless. Smoke is rising from his chest. I suddenly hear a cough and a groan. I look down.

"Fran!" I say too loudly. "Your alive!" I begin to cry with joy as I try to lift her up.

"I heard Blassterss! Thiss way!" I hear somebody hiss.

***

Meanwhile.... on the Cornerian surface, Fox and his team are flying toward the smoking hospital. They received an emergency signal and departed from the Great Fox approximately ten minutes ago.

Fox is leading the team's formation. Falco and Krystal are flying behind him. Falco is to the left, Krystal is on the right.

"Fox.. That's Corneria City General Hospital!" Krystal says with surprise as they fly closer to it.

"What sort of unethical criminal would attack the wounded?" Falco asks rhetorically.

"Pirates," Fox responds concernedly. "with a grudge. We'd better hurry, time is of the essence."

They land roughly two hundred feet from the hospital. They deactivate their arwings and hop out of them. A local Cornerian police officer begins to run toward them, waving his arms fanatically.

"Oy! Get outta here!" The officer said with utmost force. "Civilians aren't allowed near the attack site! We have a hostage crisis."

Fox points to his Star Fox badge on his vest and says. "It's okay we are here to help officer, can you tell us what has happened?"

"Well," the officer begins. "A group of space pirates planted a bomb in the hospital. As you can see," He points to the smoking building before continuing. "it already went off. Firefighters are trying desperately to put out the huge fire."

The officer sighs deeply. "But... there is a problem. They are holding two people hostage somewhere in the building. A member of the hospital staff and a patient."

"What are their demands?" Falco interrupts hastily, eager to get to the pirate scum.

"We don't know," The officer replies worriedly. "They haven't told us yet."

"Then we must go in," Fox says concernedly. "If pirates don't make demands that means that they're waiting to be extracted as we speak, and they'll kill the hostages once they're in the clear."

"But we don't know where they are! That's the problem," The officer replies cowardly. "We don't need more blood on our hands."

"It's a risk either way," Falco interrupts again. "However we must do something."

"They're on the twelfth floor," Krystal says as she opens her eyes. "We must hurry, they're in grave danger. I can feel it."

"Alright," Fox says. "Let's go."

And with those words, the three Star Fox members run toward the hospital, blasters in hand.

Fox activates the intercom on his wrist and says. "Slippy I need an interior holographic map of the hospital and thermal imaging as soon as possible."

"_Okay Fox,_" Slippy replies through the comm. "_Good luck._"

***

I am laying on the ground, shivering. Not because I'm cold but because I am scared to the bone. Fran and I are in what used to be the recreation room. Our hands are bound behind our backs. We have been here for at least an hour maybe two. I've been slowly trying to loosen the rope on my hands but I'm not getting very far. Fran has been in the opposite corner, crying her eyes out.

Five pirates, at least I think they're pirates, are in the room. A hyena, a lizard, a pig and two birds. The lizard seems to be giving orders to the other four. He has a deep scar across his face. Ha also has a eye patch where his left eye should be.

One of the pigs mutters to the hyena. "Why are we keeping them alive? I don't see the point in it."

Angrily, the lizard dashes toward the pig and grabs him by the front of his vest. He lifts him up as he starts to choke.

"Becausse Grime..." The lizard says with a thick, angry accent, "It'ss What the bosss wantss."

He points to me and says. "He wantss the white vixen alive, sso he can kill her himsself!."

Grime is gasping for air as he he says, "Yes.... sir...forgive...me..."

The lead pirate drops the pig onto the ground. The pig clutches his sore neck as he gulps in air.

Turning to his other comrades, the lizard snaps and says. "Anymore sstupid quesstionss?"

Terrified the other three shake their heads, and continue to ignore the fact that their leader almost killed one of them. Smirking, he walks back to the middle of the room.

'_This is just like my nightmares..._' I think cautiously, '_Only this is worse... this is real._'

I look over at Fran, she's even more terrified then me. Poor Fran... her eyes are dreary with tiredness and morbid terror. She will remember this terrifying experience for the rest of her life.

'_We've been here for hours. Why has no one come?_' I ponder worriedly.

As if reading my mind, the lizard looks startled. He lifts his head up and starts sniffing the air. He releases the grip on his blaster's hostler.

"Ssomeone iss here!" He barked, "Closse the doorss!"

But it was too late. I close my eyes in horror.

'_This is it..._' I scream inside. '_It's over, they're gonna shoot us!_'

I hear several blaster shots go off quickly. I smell the stench that I smelled when I shot the tiger pirate. I hear the pirates screaming in pain and surprise. I open my eyes just in time to see the lizard grab my neck and lift me up. I start to choke as he holds me in front of him with one arm, and his blaster pointed at my head with the other. I'm staring at people I don't recognize. Soldiers in special uniforms. Two foxes and a bird. One fox is blue, she looks a lot like me.

"I'm taking the girl!" the lizard snarls.

I can smell his bad breath, it threatens to suffocate me. I turn my head to the left to try to avoid the acrid smell and I notice sunlight is streaming through a window.

'_I can't believe that I forgot about the window..._' I think to myself. '_I could try to push him out._'

The cords binding my hands are getting loose, I try harder to break them.

"Last chance slime ball," The blue bird says seriously. "Let her go or your getting a laser through that other ugly eye of yours."

The ropes binding my hands fall off.

'_Now's my chance!_' I say to myself.

Almost as if it was instinct, I bite my captor's arm, it tastes horrible. He yells in terror and loosens his grip on my neck. I slip my head out from underneath his arm, and push him toward the window with all my might. I lose my balance quickly and fall over. Next thing I hear is a painful scream and shattering glass. I look over just in time to see the pirate fall out of the window, seventeen stories to the ground.

I crawl over to Fran and unbind her hands, and we hold onto each other as she cries.

The orange fox walks up to me and says. "Hello Nikki. My name is Fox McCloud. I assume that you don't remember me."


	5. It's all in the Past

Here's chapter four. I should mention that it's quite possibly the saddest thing I've ever written. If you are to read it, be warned.

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**Chapter 4: It's all in the Past**

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Three days have passed since the hospital was attacked. People have begun to go back to their normal lives. Literally hundreds of volunteer relief workers have been working to restore the hospital and I'm astounded at their progress.

Speaking of progress, mine has been amazing as well. I can finally walk without a cane and it is a wonderful feeling. My doctors are stunned at the fact that my leg has healed so rapidly. I told them that I wished to be discharged from the hospital. I just can't handle what has happened here. Fran is still severely traumatized, she hasn't been to work since the hostage incident.

I've been spending the past hour getting ready to leave. I've put on the uniform that I was found in. The pants are pure black, with gray stripes down the sides of the legs. My shirt is a navy blue color and the blaster belt is red with black trim. My boots are a deep navy blue color.

As I'm staring at my bathroom mirror for the last time, I let out a deep sigh.

'_Well... this is it,_' I utter sadly.

I lift up my small bag of possessions and leave my room. I don't have much, just a few thousand space credits and some clothes. As I'm walking down ten stories, (my new room was two floors lower), my mind is filled with a sense of regret. Fox has promised to fly me to Fortuna, the planet he says I grew up on. It is a lush green planet, filled with numerous jungles and oceans. He has promised to tell me what he knows about me before dropping me off.

It takes me about eight minutes to walk down ten stories. As I step outside of the hospital gates, a wave of warm fall air hits my face. Fox told me that I should meet him at the "Barking Bell" which is a Cornerian fast food restaurant. He claims that it is safer to meet in a public place then in a private one. For one, pirates wouldn't be stupid enough to raid a place filled with people. Secondly they wouldn't believe that anyone would be stupid enough to hide in plain sight.

It takes me a few minutes to find the place, based on Fox's directions. The streets are filled with people who are rushing to get to their destinations. I finally see the fast food joint, on a intersection corner. It's brightly lit, with a mechanical canine on top of it.

When I enter the restaurant I am met with the thick stench of grease and meat. The air is hot and sticky, this place is packed full of people.

'_Must be getting close to lunch time..._" I think hesitantly. '_I should find Fox... before I throw up._'

As I begin to search the place, I see Fox and his team at a corner table. I wave and smile lightly. He waves back, burger in hand. I walk over and sit in the fourth seat near the table. Fox is sitting with Falco and a green frog whom I haven't met.

"Nikki, this is Slippy," Fox says as he points towards the frog. "He was on my ship when we rescued you. Krystal is there now, checking the Great Fox's engines."

"Nice to meet you," I say as I nod. "I'm Nikki."

As I'm sitting there I start to take notice as to what they're eating. Slippy is eating some sort of fried flies, Falco is eating a bagworm taco, and Fox is eating a gopher burger. I can only tell because of the leftover wrappers and boxes. The food looks too gross to even try to identify it.

"Um, Where do I begin?" Fox says as he finishes his burger. "Well I guess it's been about twelve years since I saw you last. You were just a little girl then."

He smiles at me before continuing. "I knew your uncle very well. He was one of my fathers greatest friends a long time ago. Your uncle began to raise you after your parents died, or so I assumed. I still remember how shy you were around us, clutching your uncle's leg and trying to hide behind it."

He laughs softly before carrying on. "He was a scientist... he specialized in bio-mechanics. My team had to take our robot, R.O.B, to him for repair. He had been shot several times when our ship was raided by Venom renegades. R.O.B. was beyond my skill to repair but your uncle managed to fix him in a few days."

"He sounds like a brilliant man." I say, almost proudly.

"Yes..." Fox's facial expression changes from happiness to sorrow "He _was_ a brilliant man."

My heart suddenly sinks as I reluctantly respond. "Was?"

Fox sighs deeply as he wipes a couple tears that have begun to swell up in his eyes. "Nikki... I don't know how to tell you this but... he was murdered a long time ago."

"No," I manage to utter as my whole body tenses up. "It can't be true."

"It is Nikki," Fox replies with immense sadness and a deep sense of compassion. "I'm sorry but he's gone."

Fox wipes another tear out of his eye before carrying on. "A week after he repaired R.O.B., we received a distress signal from Fortuna. We feared the worst and we received it. By the time we got close to the planet's surface, we could see smoke rising from your village. When we landed we saw that all of the houses were burning, except for yours. Yours was practically torn in two. We approached with our weapons drawn."

By this time, Slippy and Falco were wiping away tears of their own.

Fox started again. "We heard a scream come from inside and we could tell that it was you. We rushed into the house's dining room and saw you. You were on top of your uncle's body, sobbing. You face was burrowed into his shoulder. You kept shaking him in an attempt to wake him up. Blood was everywhere."

I started to cry. Tears of sorrow and anger rolled down my face.

'_Pirates have ruined everything in my life!_' I yell in my head. '_I hate them so much!_'

"I had to get you out of there," Fox states. "I lifted you up and carried you out of the house. You were still sobbing and protesting in anger and screams. Your arms and feet were covered in your uncle's blood. Falco was so traumatized by what happened that day that he left the team for years. Afterwards my team fell apart, we lost our funding and zeal to work for a long time."

"I must get to Fortuna," I cry out as I continue to wipe away tears.

I didn't have to say anything else. We all left Corneria, boarded the Great Fox and headed for the wilderness planet of Fortuna. I needed to see my home for myself.


	6. Sauria's New Counsel

Here it is... chapter five. It introduces Scales' role in the fic. He's more brutal, dark and evil then ever before. Enjoy.

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**Chapter 5: Sauria's New Counsel**

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It is a gloomy, dank and cold night on most of Sauria's surface. There are no crickets chirping, the night stars have refused to shine. Most of the trees are burned or rotten, rivers are dried up and many temples have been destroyed. The grass is dead, replaced by rotting flesh that now litters the landscape. The air is thick with pollutants that have been recently released from the planet's core.

Earthwalkers no longer walk on the surface...

Cloudrunners no longer fly through the sky...

Snowhorns no longer migrate through their mountains...

Only sharpclaws walk on the surface now. Sharpclaws and pirates have made Sauria's surface unbearable to live on. Everybody else is working in the new mines that Scales has carved out. The mines are deep within the planet, the air is filled with a heavy magical energy. He is searching for something, but nobody knows exactly what it is. Some say that he wants them to somehow "harvest" the planet's magical energy, while others believe that he just wants to keep them miserable.

He has built many new buildings on the planet's surface, most of them are made from a durasteel alloy. They shine with a white glow in the morning sun. He has a huge army too vast and terrible to imagine. Many weapons and ships are being produced daily, thanks to the help of his new allies.

Pirates are cold blooded, ruthless and self-serving. They care only about themselves. They thrive off the killing, pillaging or destruction that they cause.

The planet Venom has also allied itself with Scales and his army. The planet has recently elected a new leader, one that's enshrouded in mystery. Hundreds of Venom scientists are developing new biological weaponry. Their research is nearly complete. The time for war is fast approaching.

Scales is so close, so close to executing his revenge. Revenge against the only two people that were powerful enough to stop him...

***

Scales is sitting on a chair in his ship's living quarters. He's leaning on his right hand, half asleep. His blood-red eyes and dark green scales strike fear into everyone that he encounters, including his own men. His teeth have darkened from neglectful hygiene. He also has a dual-hook where his left hand used to be. It is stained with the blood of his countless victims. His skin has also darkened over the past few years from the heat of the Lylat sun.

He hears a few computers beep and buzz. "Sir, we're receiving a transmission from the ship's control room. Shall I patch it in general?" a computer voice says in monotone.

Scales turns to face the hologram device on his 'kitchen' table and simply says. "Yes..." in a deep, disturbing voice.

A hologram of a blue sharpclaw soldier appears, and begins to speak. "General, the counsel awaits you in the meeting room," He says while shaking. "They... request your presence."

"Good," Scales replies. "Thanks for telling me. One more thing captain.... make sure the control room is kept in good order during the meeting. If the transmissions get cut off you'll be the first to have... a tragic accident."

The sharpclaw begins to shudder with an inward fear. "Ye-Yes general, I will keep everyone working to ensure the transmitters stay online."

Scales turns off the comm device and walks towards the meeting room. His living quarters are at the top of his ship, _The Devastator_, and the meeting room is in the middle of the ship. He heads down 500 feet via elevator and enters a huge hanger bay. He then proceeds through another door, twists and turns throughout a number of hallways and finally enters the room where people are waiting for him. Six people are holographed into the room around a metallic table. A crocodile, a tiger, two panthers, a wolf and a cloaked figure. There are various holovisions hanging on the walls, displaying numerous statistics of progress.

"Gentleman and ladies..." Scales snarls as he sits down. "Welcome... lets get down to business."

The crocodile speaks first. "Well sir I have finally found a fourth sergeant to lead a portion of your army. We now have amassed an army large enough to counter the Cornerian fleet."

"Good Gatorbile... very good." Scales says impressively, although he really isn't.

Scales then turns to face the tiger and says. " Sergeant Tigeress... are the new EMP devices installed on all the fighter ships yet?"

"Yes.." Tigeress replies. "Just finished installing the last one two hours ago, and the new EMP resistant metal that you've provided has proved successful."

"Excellent," Scales says, slightly impressed. He turns to the two panthers, who are holographed in together and says. "Mr. and Mrs. Panthora... what is the progress on Venom's bio-weapon research?"

The male panther scientist hesitates before speaking, "It's going very well general, the tests have been.... mostly successful. The weapons should be ready within a... week."

Scales sighs, before the cloaked figure speaks. "We need those weapons too be ready before we strike. We cannot proceed without them. Our plan may fail otherwise."

Scales, who is very angry, yells out. "Well perhaps you should get more effective workers! Ones that work swiftly and correctly!"

He slams his fist on the table, causing it to dent.

"Anyway," Scales carries on bitterly. "This meeting is over. Wolf, stay. I need to speak with you separately."

Scales presses a button on the table, which causes all of the holograph figures to slowly fade away. Only Wolf's transmission is still online. Wolf stares at Scales intently, and waits for him to calm down. He knows that what he is about to say will only anger Scales more.

Wolf, sitting with his arms crossed, says with confidence, "I cannot work for you anymore."

Scales gets an enraged look in his eyes. His fists clench.

"What?! How dare you turn your back on _me_! Your as filthy as Fox!" Scales yells so loud that it echoes in the room.

"I'm filthy?" Wolf scoffs. " You tried to kill one of _my_ team members, I can't tolerate that."

Scales furiously roars. "If you walk out on me now, you'll be dead within the week!"

"I am not scared of you Scales, unlike most people. You can't manipulate me that easily." With those words, Wolf ends the transmission.

Scales is so pissed off that he tears apart the metallic table with his dual-hook and throws the pieces around the room. It takes him a few minutes to calm down, no one dares to enter the room. In his anger he is struck with an idea. He clicks the intercom on his wrist as one of his many receptionists comes online.

"Bella," he shouts. "Get me Gatorbile on the hologram. Tell him I that I need his sergeant recruits to meet me here."

***

Meanwhile, on Star Wolf's space station, Leon and Wolf are arguing.

"Why in the hell did you do that?" Leon bellows at Wolf as he turns off the transmission.

"Scales is getting too sloppy and confident," Wolf replies calmly. "He's making too many foolish mistakes."

"Our team should _never_ turn down an offer! It's unethical, unfair to the people we serve!" Leon yells furiously.

Wolf gazes at Leon intently before speaking. "That is wrong."

Leon suddenly gets a stunned look on his face. He takes a deep breath before speaking again. "What do you mean?"

"The team," Wolf replies. "is more important then anything else. As individuals we are weak, vulnerable and defenseless. But together we are strong, invulnerable and powerful."

Leon sighs as he hears Wolf's words.

"Scales is gonna be ticked, he'll come after us you know." He says as he scratches his head.

"I don't care," Wolf replied, "He tried to kill Nikki. What if you were someone's target Leon? Would you like us to work for the bounty hunter tracking you? Would _you_ want us to be employed by one of _your_ enemies?" Wolf said each word diligently and effectively, enough for Leon to finally understand.

Leon sighs deeply then says, "Your right Wolf, as always. I really hate that about you." He says the last sentence in a joking kind of way.

"Now... let's head to Fortuna. If I know Fox, he'll try to take Nikki home." Wolf continues. "After we get Nikki safely back in our possession, we must find Panther. He is a week late."

"How long are these family reunions supposed to take anyway?" Leon questions.

"Beats me." Wolf responds quickly as they leave the control room.


	7. Forgotten Memories

**Chapter 6: Forgotten Memories**

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**_I'm running down a narrow corridor, my blaster is in my right hand. Sweat is pouring down my face, I hear an alarm ringing. Red lights are flashing on and off. I can feel my heart racing, my legs are getting sore. It's getting very difficult to breathe._

_I suddenly see a door to the right of me. I peer in through the room window and I notice that no one is in it. I slide open the door, dash inside and lock the door. I brace my back to the nearby wall and attempt to catch my breath. As I begin to rest, I notice that the room is some sort of laboratory. I see glass cabinets filled with bottles all around me._

_"Alert!" I hear a female computer voice beep. "Intruder has been detected in sector three! All scientists please evacuate immediately until the threat is neutralized."_

_I hear the automated voice say that phrase, over and over again. I begin to search through the glass cabinets in the room. Even though most of them are locked I just smash the glass with my blaster._

_'I must find proof,' I tell myself. 'I cannot let them get away with this. They must be stopped.'_

_Rigboroflam, Draghionyl, Sigyroglan... made up names of various chemicals._

_"Dammit," I curse out loud. "It's not here. Of course its not..."_

_I take samples of everything I see before a glass window shatters behind me. I roll away from the shards of flying glass, only a few manage to scrape me. I look towards the window and I see a guard talking into his communication device._

_"She's in lab fiv-" He manages to say before he yells in pain._

_I look at my blaster and notice the fresh smoke billowing out of it. I get up off the ground as I hear a thud and I notice another door at the other end of the room. I run towards it and kick it down. I see a new, different colored hallway as I continue to run for the exit._

***

I wake up startled and sweaty, my heart is pounding in my chest. I clutch my stomach and breathe a deep sigh of relief. I notice that my blanket and pillow have fallen onto the floor.

"What's with these dreams?" I say aloud, half asleep. "They feel so real."

I rub my eyes again and I quickly remember that I'm on Fox's ship. I'm on top of a bunk bed, in a corner of the Great Fox's sleeping quarters. I hop down from the top of the bed and head towards the bathroom. I turn on some [url=".com/watch?v=PSqOCSZJc68&feature=related"]music[/url] before walking inside. I turn on the bathroom light and I see my messy reflection staring back at me. My eyes are groggy, my hair is tangled and my fur is scruffy.

"Well..." I say lightly. "time to get started."

I take a shower, fix my fur and comb my hair. After my shower I put on my causal clothes, a simple navy blue t-shirt and gray sweat pants. After the song is done, I turn off the music player and leave the room. After walking down the hall for about a minute, I hear the sound of laughter and joy coming from a nearby room. I poke my head in and I notice that everyone is in the Great Fox's game room. Fox, Falco, Slippy and Peppy are playing pool, the table is located in the middle of the room. The doorway that I'm standing in is in one corner of the room. In the opposite corner there are a few old arcade machines. As I enter the room, they finally notice me and look over.

"Good morning young lady," Peppy says cheerfully. "How did you sleep?"

"Just fine." I lie, unable to tell the truth about my nightmares.

"Glad to hear it," Peppy replies happily. "We're about 20 minutes from Fortuna. We're jus' having a friendly game of pool. Want in?"

"No thanks," I carefully respond. "You guys finish up."

I casually look around behind me and I notice a huge holovision mounted into the wall. The entire Lylat system, well at least I think it is the Lylat system, is displayed on the screen. All of the planets are labeled with various data. Name, core temperature, climate, atmosphere, elevations and the like. The Great Fox's location is shown as a yellow, blinking dot.

"What is this one?" I ponder as I point to a blue and green planet on the edge of the map.

"Sauria..." Falco replies, almost shuddering.

I suddenly feel weakness in my legs. That name sounds so familiar. I get a rush of pictures, memories, in my head. One right after the other.

***

_I hear loud shouting and the sound of blaster fire. I hear screams all around me. My vision is clouded by smoke, trees are quickly burning all around me. I can hear the distinct sound of evil laughter off in the distance._

***

_"Get outta here!" I hear some dinosaur shout at me. "It's too danger-"_

_I hear several blaster shots as the dinosaur falls to the muddy ground. I see strange warriors, cloaked in red robes, running straight for me. I draw a sword from my own belt and begin to cut them down swiftly. A wave of terror sweeps across their faces as I continue to impale them._

***

_I'm in the cockpit of a fighter ship. I see the surface of a planet burning beneath me. Literally hundreds of ships are flying in the sky, lasers are shooting off in every direction. I hear a loud crackling noise and I smell smoke. I've been hit! I cannot seem to control the ship! I push a button as my seat ejects. My fighter explodes into a nearby tree._

***

I grab on to the wall in front of me. I nearly fall over because my knees are shaking violently. I cannot make sense of them...

"Are you all right?" Fox asks as he stops me from collapsing.

"Yeah..." I groan as I hold onto my sore head. "That name... is very familiar... I saw pictures... in my head... that relate to it..."

"We'd better get you something to eat." Fox says as he turns on the inter-com on his wrist. "R.O.B., prepare lunch right away please."

"_Yes sir,_" R.O.B responds in his monotone voice through the intercom. "_Right away._"

"Wait... if R.O.B isn't navigating the Great Fox then who is?" I ask curiously.

"Krystal," Fox replies hastily. "She enjoys it. She says that it relaxes her for some reason."

"That reminds me," Slippy says hesitantly. "She wanted to speak with you before we reach Fortuna."

"Alright," I reason, slightly confused. "I'll meet you guys in the dining hall with Krystal."

With those words I say my good-byes and leave the room. As I continue down the hallway, the floor makes a slight clanking noise. I look at it and notice it's made of a white metal. After a few more minutes I reach the control room at the front of the Great Fox. I see Krystal, dressed in a white shirt and red pants.

"I'm glad you came," She speaks without turning around. "I wanted to talk privately with you before we landed on Fortuna."

She turns around and motions toward the empty chair beside her. As I sit down she continues to talk. "I don't know if Fox told you or not but the three of us are very similar. Fox lost his father, I lost my parents and you lost your uncle. The loss of a loved one is a powerful thing. It's the most traumatic experience that we all go through."

I started to feel sad again. "Krystal... why are you telling me this?" I question in a slightly forced way.

"Because Fox chose to avenge his father," She replies quickly. "He hunted down his father's killer two years ago. And me? I myself chose to pursue my parent's killer, but I found nothing. I was left with a bitter taste within me."

She sighs before carrying on. "My point is that Fox and I were miserable for years. We pursued revenge. That was a mistake. I do not want you to make the same mistakes that we have made."

She was right. I knew she was right. It made sense when I thought about it but... that's not how I felt inside. I had a deep hated within me. One that continued to eat away at my soul.

'_How can I just stand by and do nothing?_' I say to myself.

'_No..._' I reason. '_I will not rest until every pirate pays for their crimes..._'

"I know what your thinking Nikki," Krystal says as she reads my mind. "We don't just stand by and do nothing. We are doing everything that we can to stop pirates and other criminals from taking over this system. It's our job."

I turn away. I cannot stare at her face because I feel ashamed. When I turn my head I see a planet off in the distance. It looks like a gigantic emerald glistening in the air, it's beautiful. I hear the computer beep and I notice Krystal's fingers tapping on the keyboard.

"That'll keep us in orbit." Krystal says as the computer beeps again.

"Now," She continues. "Lets eat before we land..."

***

It takes the whole team about an hour to eat. We are eating minced red snapper, marinated in some kind of berry wine. Mashed potatoes perfectly seasoned, and a garden salad. It's delicious, even by Slippy's standards.

When everyone is finished eating, I excuse myself and head off to the sleeping quarters to grab my things. The bag is slightly heavier now because Krystal gave me some extra clothes. As I'm standing in the doorway I turn my head around and stare at the room for about a minute. I wonder if I will ever see it again.

"The transport is ready Nikki." Fox says as he motions his hand toward me. "Come on."

I follow him to the Great Fox's hanger and I notice a small rectangular shaped vessel. It has many windows and it's painted red.

"It used to be a Cornerian convoy bus," Slippy says cheerfully. "Until I modified it. It's now used only for planetary descents."

I smile lightly and follow him onto the 'bus.' We begin to make our descent on Fortuna. My home, the location of my tragedy and the future of my hope.

***

Meanwhile, Leon and Wolf have arrived within Fortuna space. An empty Wolfen on auto pilot is following them.

"_They are already here Wolf,_" Leon grins as he gestures toward the Great Fox.

"_Do not engage them Leon,_" Wolf replies. "_I don't like Fox either but we are here for our team member._"

"_Yes sir,_" Leon replies with obvious annoyance in his voice.

"_The radar shows that Nikki has reached the surface, we must be quick._" Wolf replies hastily.

***

This planet is beautiful, I do not remember seeing anything like it. Huge trees and flowers cover the vast landscape, except for the plain that I am on. The air is rich and moist, I take in the sweet scent of some of the flowers. I remember that smell. It smells like...

***

_I hear many children laughing happily. They're cheering as they are playing some sort of game amongst the various wild flowers scattered across the ground. I see a smaller group of them chasing a large red ball with green stripes, laughing with happiness in their voices. I have a sudden urge to run toward the ball with the other kids, and I suddenly realize that I'm a child too. The other kids join in, and we are all dashing toward the ball now, trampling flowers and squealing with excitement. I get a sad look on my face when I see that a young boy has already grabbed the ball_

_"I got it!" A little otter boy squeaks. "I got it!"_

_He is holding the red ball above his head and between his tiny hands. The other kids, including me, are running up to him in an attempt to take the ball for ourselves._

_"Now, now," I hear a familiar voice say behind me. "play nice little ones. You don't want to hurt any of your friends do you?"_

_I turn around and I notice a young but tall Falco towering over all of us. He looks down at me, chuckling with his arms crossed._

_"Nikki," He says with cheer in his voice. "You uncle wants you home for lunch now, follow me."_

_I wave good-bye timidly with my right hand, while Falco holds my left one. I casually look over to my right and I see a huge cliff that seems to go on down forever. Beyond it is a huge body of water that stretches as far as the eye can see. The yellow Lylat sun is slowly setting as it creates a amazing but beautiful spectacle of light. I see yellow and red colors glistening softly on the water's surface, the water is perfectly clear. It seems to be the most awe-inspiring sunset I have ever seen. As we continue walking I notice many other adults in the village, all busy with their chores. I notice the aroma of a sweet smelling flower. It's coming from my house. The wooden door is open and I see my uncle in the doorway. He's tall and muscular._

_"Nikki!" He shouts with joy as he opens his arms toward me. "I've made your favorite meal! Groundhog pansy soup with strawberry icecream!"_

_"Yay!" I happily squeal as he lifts me with his huge arms, laughing._

_He walks off of our porch and into our dining room, and I see Fox's team all gathered around the table. They're all laughing with smiles on their faces, as they talk to one another they are holding some sort of drink in their hands._

***

I hear the 'bus' alarm beep loudly. I jump and turn around in surprise.

"Fighters!" Peppy yells from inside the small ship. "coming in from the south!"

I look up and I see three red and gray fighters are descending towards us.

"Wolf." I say outloud.

Fox turns to me in surprise and asks, "You know him?"

"Yes," I say regretfully. "He's my boss."

The Wolfens land and I see Wolf get out of one. A green chameleon hops out of the other one, grinning.

Fox and Wolf stare at each other intently.

"I am not here to fight you Fox," Wolf says as he tosses his blaster into his Wolfen's cockpit. "I'm here for my team member."

My eyes fill up with sorrow. I realize now that Star Fox and Star Wolf are rivals. Bitter ones at that. Why, I do not know.

"I just brought her home!" Fox yells angrily at Wolf. "You can't just take her away again!"

"We don't have time to argue Fox," Wolf sighs as he turned towards me. "As long as she is here she is in danger. We all are."

"I will go," I say as a tear rolls down my cheek. " I will _not_ be a threat to my own planet."

"You can't be seri-" Falco manages to say before being interrupted.

"It is her choice," Krystal interrupts. "We cannot choose Nikki's destiny for her."

I am filled with confusion as I walk toward the third Wolfen, bag in hand. But I have to go and I trust both Wolf [i]and[/i] Fox for some reason. I am going with my instinct. Before entering the Wolfen, I turn to face Fox. His team members all have surprised looks on faces, all of them except Krystal.

"I'm sorry Fox," I begin to say as my voice begins to crack. "I didn't know you two were unfriendly."

With those words, the three of us leave the planet's surface. I have left behind the only friends that I could remember. As their faces disappeared from view, I wondered if leaving them was a mistake.

"_We're flying out to our space station to refuel,_" Wolf says over the Wolfen's intercom. "_After that we must search for our fourth team member, he's missing. You two have a small history together. You should remember it soon enough._"

"_Then,_" Leon speaks into the intercom a little too loudly. "_We must stop a bloody war. One where we've been forced to switch sides..._"

'_War?_' I say to myself. '_I do not want to be in a war. And who is this fourth team member? Will I ever remember our time together? Or are those memories lost forever?_'

I turn on the Wolfen's autopilot and my mind begins to wander. I drift off into a peaceful sleep...


	8. Family Tragedy

Yay! I got my first review here on ! Thanks, whoever you are, lol. Anyway this chapter bugged a few Star Fox fans. Someone flamed me over and over and said that I hated Panther. I do not, however, the events in this chapter had to take place in order for the story to be accurate to its sequal, Seething Betrayal.

Anyway I hope you all enjoy this and the many chapters to come, happy reading. There's a small Kirby cameo in this chapter, as well as a slightly famous RE quote.

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**Chapter 7: Family Tragedy**

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It takes us about six hours to reach Wolf's station. It is painted dark red, with light gray trim. It's much bigger than I remember, almost the size of a small moon. The entire outer wall is covered in a shimmering red holoshield. It is aligned with many blaster turrets and glass windows. I notice that a large hanger door is opening up in front of us. Leon and Wolf fly in with their Wolfens, I follow closely, trying very hard to not to crash a machine that feels unfamiliar to me. I hear the air hiss as the hanger door seals behind me. I sigh as I stretch my arms. Sitting for six straight hours is enough to make me die of boredom, so to speak. I grab my sack of possessions and hop out of the Wolfen,

"We will rest for two hours, no more," Wolf says as he jumps out of his Wolfen.

"Bathrooms are that way," He says as he gestures to the left. "And the... food is that way." He says as he points behind him. He said the word 'food' oddly, as if it wasn't real food.

I nod lightly and head for the bathroom. I change into a red shirt and black velvet pants and I wrap my blaster belt around my waist. I tighten it before heading out towards the kitchen. When I get there I notice that the 'food' is no more then a small ration. It's about the size of my fist, shaped spherically. I nibble on it slowly. It tastes like some kind of dried meat and stale vegetables. I only eat a few of them, as my stomach can't handle anymore balls of grease.

As I am walking out of the 'kitchen' I notice a firing range to my right. Leon is inside, practicing his shooting skills, obviously. I notice that he holds his blaster firmly with two hands. He aims with both fury and precision. As I walk closer, I hear a loud rock song blaring through speakers embedded in the wall.

I smile lightly and shout above the music. "You make it look easy!"

"Isn't it?" Leon replied, slightly irritated at my presence.

I smirk slightly and ask. "May I give it a whirl?"

"You can do whatever the hell you want," Leon replies as he breathes heavily. "I'm goin' for a drink."

He leaves the small firing range as I enter it, the music is still blaring loudly. I walk up to the firing range's computer and I see a command prompt.

**C: RESTART? (Y/N)**

**C: Y**

**C: PLEASE SELECT DIFFICULTY LEVEL (1,2,3,4)**

**C: 2**

**C: COMMENCING SIMULATION... PLEASE WAIT**

I pull my blaster out of my belt and hold it in front of me with my right hand. I slowly close my left eye as I hold up the blaster, my right eye is focused on the open space in front of me. A target appears to my left, my hand jerks and I fire twice. Two appear next, one in front of me and one to the right, I pull the trigger three times.

It takes me another two minutes of constant waving and firing to finish the course, my arm is aching slightly from the slight workout. I feel the rush of adrenaline slowly leave my body as the computer calculates my results. It beeps and twitters as I look at the monitor again.

**C: ACCURACY: 88%**

**C: CURRENT LEVEL TWO RECORD: WOLF 96%**

**C: PERSONAL BEST: 94%**

**C: RESTART? (Y/N)**

**C: N**

**C: SHUTTING SYSTEM DOWN**

**C: HAVE A NICE DAY! (^_^)**

I turn around and I notice that Wolf is behind me, smiling. I put my blaster back in my belt and turn off the music.

"Not bad for your first time back," Wolf chuckles lightly. "That computer is very old, I found it on a distant planet a few years ago."

"Wow," I mumble while losing interest. "That's... pretty amazing."

As I'm trying to think of a way to end the conversation, Leon runs up toward us.

"Wolf," Leon says while sighing slightly. "Something bad has happened. Gatorbile is broadcasting himself on our holovision. He's got Panther on Fichina."

In a slight panic, the three of us run back to the space station's communication room. When we get there I see a ugly crocodile on the screen. His skin is pale green. His eyes are yellow, his teeth are stained black. He's missing an eye, a cyborg-like helmet covers it. His arms are crossed and he is smiling at us proudly.

"Gatorbile!" Wolf yells, slightly enraged at his presence. "What the hell do you want?"

Gatorbile begins to laugh before speaking. "I have captured your sorry excuse for a team member. Show 'em boys! Move the camera to 'im!"

Static covers the holoscreen and is replaced by another security feed. I see a large, dark room. Huge wooden crates are scattered around the floor. The floor looks like it's made from some sort of rock, granite probably. The next thing I see sends chills up my spine. I see a black cat curled up in the corner of the room. He's clutching his stomach. There are patches of dried blood around his nose and mouth. The floor is stained with blood and covered in patches of dark fur. The holoscreen focuses on Gatorbile again. He chuckles, as if he just heard a funny joke. The smirk on his face is more obvious.

"If you don't come to Fichina and give us Nikki within 24 hours... he dies." Gatorbile says as he laughs. "I'll see you soon Wolf. Don't even think of screwing with me."

The transmission ends and Wolf sighs deeply as he puts his hand under his chin. Leon has a pissed off look on his face.

"Those cowards! They attack when we're most vulnerable! They never want a fair fight!" Leon yells out a few more sentences before slamming his fist on the comm room controls.

I clench my fists, I am very angry. Even now pirates are continuing to make my life a living hell. I hate them more than ever before.

"Why do they want me?" I question aloud.

"_They_ don't..." Wolf replies sadly. "Their leader does. He would like nothing more then to kill you himself."

I shudder before responding, my fist begins to hurt but I keep it clenched. "Why?"

"If you don't remember," Wolf utters concernedly. "Then we will never know _why._"

I look down at my clenched fist and notice blood running through my fingers. I unclench my fist as pain shoots up my arm. I clean off my hand with a nearby cloth as I search for a bandage. I find one and I look back at Wolf again as I wrap my hand up. I notice that he is facing Leon.

"What're we gonna do Wolf?" Leon ponders concernedly.

"Rescue mission," Wolf sighs while rubbing his forehead. "It's the only thing we _can_ do. We'll catch them off guard, then kill them."

"Good thinking," Leon replies. "That way we can begin to stop this war before it begins and get our team back at the same time."

"No," Wolf responds coldly. "It won't end the war but it'll thin out Scales' allies. It may make them lose faith."

"What war?" I blurt out without thinking.

"It's a long story Nikki, we will discuss it on our way to Fichina." Wolf replies rather quickly. "Dress warmly... Fichina has a bitterly cold climate. There is only one city on the entire planet, five hundred thousand people."

"I think I'm perfect for cold climates... but I'm not really sure." I say as I look at my white arctic fur, I look like I'd be warm.

"Meh..." Leon says while groaning. "Snow sucks, badly. Seriously."

***

Meanwhile, back on the Great Fox, Fox and his team are getting prepared to leave Fortuna space. All of a sudden, a transmission comes in on the ship's emergency frequency.

"Fox-" A half hologramed figure buzzes. "_Fox! We have received-_"

The communication link beeps a little bit more and the hologram figure comes in clearly. It's General Pepper, the wrinkles in his face are even deeper than they we're prior to the Apariod invasion. He'll retiring from his military service next year.

"Your clear now General," Fox says as his attention is heightened. "repeat previous transmission please."

Pepper coughs loudly before speaking again. "_We have received a faint, short distress call from Venom. It was sent to us on a low-frequency transceiver and it's a bit hard to hear._"

Everyone gets a worried look on their face before the General continues. His face is grim and pale. "_Our computer techs have enhanced it, this is what they came up with. I will play the recording._"

The general fades out and static comes over the speakers. A weak, hissing voice begins to speak.

"_Please... help me. There are pirates everywhere... I am surrounded. I don't know if I can survive much long-_" The sound of the voice fades out and it's replaced by the sound of a scream and blaster fire. After a few more seconds, the recording turns to static.

General Pepper's hologram reappears on the transmitter. The look on his face is more serious then before.

"_We lost contact with Venom almost three months ago,_" Pepper explains. "_Right after they elected a new leader. If Venom is overrun with pirates it may lead to another war between Corneria and Venom. Take this mission seriously Fox. Pepper out._"

"Pirates?" Krystal questions as Pepper's transmission ends. "On Venom? It doesn't make any sense. Venom is too sparsely populated to pillage effectively. They have no valuable natural resources."

"Maybe there is something we don't know about," Peppy replies cautiously. "Venom is a big planet. It has many mysteries that we still don't fully understand even after twenty years of research."

"I sense a third party may be involved," Fox says while scratching his ear. "We must hurry."

And with that, Fox and his team flew off towards Venom. Hoping that another calamity could be avoided.

***

Meanwhile, back on the planet Fichina, Gatorbile is eagerly waiting in a cold warehouse with his valuable hostage in hand. Scales ordered another twenty pirates to come with him. Three pirates are guarding the inside of three different entrances. Five are patrolling the building, and the other six are with Gatorbile. Various light fixtures hang from the ceiling, casting an eerie glow on the blood covered floor. There are various metal and wooden crates scattered throughout the warehouse. A few of the pirates are looting them, laughing wildly. Gatorbile draws his blaster and fires it into the air, causing the pirates to jump.

"Stop playing around you morons!" He yells, obviously pissed. "Or I'll have you guys patrol outside where you can freeze your asses off!"

The pirates immediately resume their posts while staring at him fearfully. He sits down on a metal chair, watching the panther closely. He is awake and crying quietly. It's annoying Gatorbile to the point where he can't take it anymore.

He gets up off his chair in anger and yells. "Stop your sobbing Panther! It's annoying the hell out of me!"

The panther coughs, wipes his eyes and says. "I.... am not Panther. Panther is... my brother."

Gatorbile suddenly gets a angry look in his eyes he kicks out his chair from underneath him. He snarls as he gazes at his comrades.

"Who is the idiot who snatched the wrong cat?!" He growls furiously.

Gatorbile listens intently and he hears one of his comrades trembling with dread. He turns around and sees a pig, his face is white with terror.

"I-I'm sorry s-sir..." the pig manages to peep out.

Gatorbile is even more ticked off as he draws his blaster. He fires at the pig's leg. It falls to the floor as it squeals. Gatorbile walks up to the pig and kneels down.

"There is no room in Scales' army for people who make stupid mistakes!" Gatorbile yells as he fires again.

The pig stops squealing as smoke rises from his skull.

"We will keep this one!" Gatorbile says as he points to panther's brother. "Star Wolf may still come. And when he does, we shall be ready. Prepare the ship for takeoff, we may have to leave in a hurry. And throw out this wretched body."

***

Wolf, Leon and I have landed in the Fichina City hanger. The city has many huge skyscrapers that seem to touch the clouds. The ground is covered in beautiful white snow. The air is rich, cold and moist. The moonlight glistens on the city streets, everything seems to be covered in small shiny jewels. As we leave the hanger, we notice panic in the citizens eyes. Words are spreading fast on the streets.

"Pirates have taken a hostage!"

"Police have blockaded the roads!"

"At least fifteen pirates have been spotted!"

These are just some of the words that I hear as we run toward the chaos. The panic level seems to rise as we get closer we get to the warehouse. We get closer and I begin to hear faint sirens off in the distance. People are screaming, it seems that riots have broken out amongst all the confusion. I see Leon knock out some random person, who broke a nearby shop window.

"Don't be an idiot next time." Leon chuckles as he speaks to the unconscious rioter.

After another few minutes, we finally come up to the police barricade outside of the warehouse. The sirens much are louder now. News cameras and reporters have lined up the streets, they're taking in whatever information that they can. There is a thick line of police men and women, all desperately trying to hold back the crowd. I see a black cat arguing with one of the officers. Wolf runs faster as he pushes his way through the crowd, Leon and I follow.

"Panther!" Wolf yells loudly as he reaches the police line.

Panther turns around and I lose my breath for a second. Panther looks at me with a deep sorrow in his eyes. He's shorter, but more muscular than my uncle was. He almost smiles at me, however the look on his face is a concerned one.

"Wolf!" Panther says in a deep voice as he turns away from me. "Gatorbile has my brother in there!

My heart suddenly sinks and I'm hit with a wave of sorrow.

'_Perfect._' I mumble to myself.

I turn away from Panther and I notice that Leon is arguing with an officer.

"We need to get in there!" Leon bellows while gesturing toward the warehouse."The pirate commander wants to talk with my boss here! He's the only one who can fix this!"

"I'm sorry sir but the chief has given us a direct order. No one, not even an officer, is allowed in or around the warehouse." The officer replies convincingly.

Wolf steps in and says. "Look lady, we have no time for these stupid rules. We are professionals. I have dealt with many hostage situations before."

"As I said," The officer replies undaunted. "I do not have the authority to authorize-"

"Then _create_ the authority!" I scream out impulsively.

I am enraged. I finally know why it took me so long to get rescued from the hospital on that fateful day. The police were the problem. They were either too scared or too corrupt to do anything about the crisis. I had been there. I had been a hostage, I knew how it felt. Unimaginable terror. The feeling that you could be killed in a split second, without remorse. It was psychological torture.

I can't take it anymore. I look around casually at the line of officers and I notice a small break in the pattern. I had one chance, a chance to save a life. I did not waste the opportunity. With all my strength I dash quickly, putting my body weight towards the officers. They fall down easily, face first into the snow. I see my chance and start to run through the newly formed hole in the police line. I dash toward the warehouse, snow is flying everywhere. I hear loud shouting coming from behind me, ordering me to stop. However I don't turn around, I continue to run. As I see the warehouse clearer I notice a small pipe running up the side of the building. It leads all the way up to the roof, about forty feet up. I hear more commotion behind me and I quickly turn around. I notice that Panther, Leon and Wolf have also broken through the line. They are running towards me, at a quick pace. I turn to face the pipe again and sigh.

'_Well, I might as well climb it._' I tell myself reluctantly.

I grab the rusty pipe with my left hand, it's freezing cold. I pull myself up bracing myself with my feet on the pipe. I pull up with my left hand and then my right. I'm surprised by how easy it is to climb, must be my light body weight. The only thing that makes it difficult is the cold metal, it causes my hands to sting. It only takes me about a minute to reach the roof and I pull myself up. A pirate looks at me with confusion.

"What the?" He manages to say.

I grab him by the leg and pull. He groans in surprise as his head slams onto the cold concrete roof, knocking him out.

'_Huh,_' I think. '_That was easy._'

I look down at the ground below me and I don't see my team anywhere.

'_Where are they?_' I ponder worriedly.

Almost as fast as I think it my question is answered. I hear a loud bang come from outside. I hear several blaster shots and cries of agony.

'_Not good!_' I yell inside. '_They came in through the front!_'

I quickly draw my blaster and run across the flat roof. I notice a glass portion of the roof with an exhaust vent beside it. I crouch down, use the vent for support and peer inside the warehouse. Gatorbile is holding panther's brother in front of him. He has a dagger to his chest and he's chuckling. Panther is in front of Gatorbile, holding a blaster rifle to his face.

"Let him go!" Panther yells so loudly that it echoes through the vent.

Gatorbile is slowly backing up. He laughs and presses a button on his wrist. I suddenly hear what sounds like a metal door opening.

'_It's a hanger door!_' I shout to myself. '_There must be a getaway ship behind him!_'

Gatorbile snickers. "If you had just given me Nikki... your brother would have lived."

I hear a piercing scream as I look down in horror. Gatorbile has stabbed Panther's brother, the crude dagger is in his chest.

"NO!!!" I hear Panther scream as he drops the rifle and reaches out to grab his fallen brother.

Gatorbile runs out of my site and I suddenly notice the sound of some sort of ship engine. I turn to my left and I notice the hanger, barely noticeable from where I am. I see a small ship lift off, Gatorbile is in the cockpit. He's smiling fiendishly at me. Angrily I take my blaster and fire several shots aimed at his head, but the glass cockpit is laser-proof. Gatorbile flies off in a matter of seconds, leaving nothing more than a spec of light in the sky. I approach the hanger and begin to cry softly. I notice stairs descending on my right, I go down them.

When I enter the small hanger I run toward Panther and his fallen brother. Panther is crouching, holding his dying brother in his arms. His brother is gasping for breath.

"I'm so sorry Kobi," Panther says as he begins to cry. "I... couldn't save you..."

It's the first time I remember seeing any muscular man crying tears of sorrow. Tears are streaming down my face.

"It's okay," Kobi replies hoarsely. "If you don't try to save one life, you'll never save any. Just.... promise me... one thing."

"Anything," Panther says tearfully. "Anything for you."

"You must... stop Scales..." Kobi replies difficultly.

"We will... I promise you." Panther responds with confidence.

"He... must not... destroy... that... planet." Kobi says with his last breath. "It... would....ruin....whole....Lylat....System."

Kobi's eyes slowly close as he fades out of existence. I'm still crying, I can't help it. I had been rescued from my nightmare, Kobi hadn't. I have a second chance to live and Kobi doesn't. If I hadn't acted impulsively, this may not have happened. But it _did_ happen, right in front of me.

"It's all my fault," I say through tears.

"No," Wolf said with a sadness I've never heard. "It was mine. I gave the order to move in too quickly, I thought we could handle it. I was wrong."

Panther stared at both of us and asked a series of questions.

"Why did Scales attack us? Are we not his allies?" Panther roars impulsively.

"Scales is now our enemy," Leon replies, without showing a hint of compassion. "No planet is safe anymore, not even for us."

"We will explain on our way to Venom," Wolf says as he finishes Leon's words.

"It doesn't matter," Panther replies as he slowly lets go of his motionless brother. "We will stay for Kobi's funeral. Then I shall do what I promised him. Scales will pay with his life."

I have many questions in my head too. Why is Scales so intent on killing anyone to capture me? Who is Gatorbile? How did I end up joining Star Wolf? My life is been filled with chaos, and my gut told me that there was more to come.


	9. Cornerian Corruption

Here it is, chapter 8. I'm sorry that it took so long to get here. There was a problem with my computer and/or , I couldn't submit anything. but, anyway I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. It contains a plot-twist that has probably been done before. Hell, EVERYTHING has been done, lol.

Anyway if this chapter upsets anyone, I apologize. This chapter turned a few people away from my fic when they first read it. Anyway, enjoy..:p

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**Chapter 8: Cornerian Corruption**

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It is a beautiful day on Corneria. The cold weather hasn't started yet and the trees are a magnificent blend of colors. The oceans gleam with the radiant light of the Lylat sun. It is a truly amazing day. Yes, it seemed like it'd be a wonderful afternoon for everyone.

Sadly, it is not a good day for a certain General. In a military base communication room, far from any Cornerian city, General Pepper is troubled. His hand is resting on his forehead, he's sighing with tremendous worry. He feels an ache inside of him, almost as if something will go wrong very soon. The communication room that he is in is vast, lit only by the various computers and electronic hubs scattered throughout the room. He sighs and almost sits down when he notices a black bear in a gray Cornerian army uniform walk up to him.

He salutes before speaking in an official sounding voice. "General, there is a Cornerian senator waiting for you in your office."

Pepper nods and says. "Lead the way then Commander Bruce."

Pepper is lead through a series of small corridors that are lined up with durasteel surfaces. They're lit by florescent light that comes up from the floorboards. After a few minutes he arrives in his office as the Commander salutes and leaves. Pepper is surprised at the identity of his visitor. It's a bulldog, one that he has known for years.

"Bill Grey!" Pepper exclaims as he shakes his hand. "It's been a long time. congratulations on your election victory."

"It's nice to see you to," Bill says with a distraught face. "But I am here to talk about a very serious matter."

"Please," Pepper says as he gestures toward one of the chairs in the room. "sit down."

"Well... I have good news and bad news, but mostly bad news..." Bill says as he sits down uncomfortably. "The good news is that we've built a second weapon, a replica of the one we lost a month ago. We've hidden it in a Cornerian building, it's data must not get out."

"What's the bad news then?" Pepper asks abruptly.

Bill quickly gets a concerned but very serious look on his face. "Pepper... the Cornerian Senate has made a terrible decision. One that could bring us all to ruin."

The look in Pepper's eyes quickly changes to one of discomfort. "What do you mean? What have they done?"

Bill gets up off of his chair and starts pacing around the room.

He speaks in a worried manner. "The Senate believes that they have connected the attack on our spy ship and the recent bombings in Corneria city."

"Why is that a bad thing?" Pepper questions in a confused way.

Bill puts his hands on his hips and sighs. "Because... they have accused Sauria. They believe that They're behind the attacks and that they are supporting all of the pirates in the Lylat system."

Pepper has a stunned, angry look on his face. "Wh-What? That's impossible! Sauria is our newest _ally_! Saurians have always been kind and peaceful!"

"That's what I tried to argue in the Senate today," Bill sighs again. "But the majority of the senators have already decided differently. They are corrupt General, their minds are poisoned. Poisoned by greed and selfish desires for monetary gain. They needed a planet to blame for the attacks in order to calm down the people of Corneria. They picked one."

"I will not do it," Pepper says confidently. "I will not lead the Cornerian army into a blind war just because the _senate_ says so."

"There are many younger Generals in Corneria Pepper. All of them would be willing to take your place within a moments notice." Bill responds sadly.

"What proof do they have that Sauria is responsible for all this madness?" Pepper asks in a irritated way. "They cannot accuse without proof."

"Off the record Pepper... there is lots of this so called _proof,_" Bill says with disdain. "There have been many pirate communications that seem to have originated from Saurian space. Saurian Communications that were intercepted prior to the attacks contained specific details about the bombings and raids. Also, some of the dead pirates that we've found had Saurian weapons and uniforms in their possession."

Pepper could see the sorrow in Bill's eyes, he knew what he had to do.

"I think I can prove that they were set up." Pepper ponders as he rubs his head. "You and me shall head to Venom at once. Bring about five other senators that you trust, who have the same view that we do. Our proof will be at Venom."

"Why?" Bill questions, unable to understand his logic.

"I will... explain on our way there." Pepper hesitates for a split second. "Now go and gather the senators who agree with you. Meet me in the military docking bay in an hour."

Bill smiles and nods as he shakes General Pepper's hand. "Thank you General, we shall stop this oncoming war together. Just like old times."

Bill turns around as the door slides open. He walks out and Pepper sighs deeply. He locks the door silently. He makes his way over to his desk and he begins to cough violently and uncontrolled. He groans in anguish as he gets a major headache. After a few seconds, the pain suddenly ceases. He continues to walk to his desk and sits down in front of his computer. He opens a large drawer in the bottom right corner of his desk. He's staring at a thick black robe. He sighs and takes it out of the drawer. He wears it over his entire body, hiding his skin from the world around him. He pulls the hood over his face and types a few keys on his keyboard. A white lizard shows up on the computer screen, wearing a red army uniform.

"I'm on my way to Venom again." Pepper says in a deep, sinister voice. "I'll be in a gray Cornerian ship. Do _not _shoot it down, let it pass into sector four."

"_Yess... my liege..._" The lizard replies while saluting. "_Sstar Fox iss almosst here._"

"Good," Pepper says in a even deeper voice. "Give them a little 'tour' of the facility, I shall kill them later."

"_How will we know you when we ssee you my lord?_" The lizard questions.

Pepper's eyes are starting to glow with a slight red hue. "I'll be the only one in a red uniform... Kill the others. We are close to our goal Glash. The people who are with me wish to spoil it. Do not fail me."

"_I won't Ssire._" Glash responds, slightly intimidated.

"Make sure you turn on the experimental telepathic blocker. One of Fox's team members has certain... abilities," Pepper says worriedly. "She must not sense anything."

"_Yess my liege, sshe won't detect anything._" Glash replies confidently.

Pepper presses a few more buttons on his keyboard and the screen goes blank. He types in another code in an attempt to contact someone else. After about a minute, an automated message machine comes through the computer.

"_You've reached the Saurian Export Company. Sorry but no one is available to take your call right now. Leave your message after the beep and we'll call you back as soon as we can._"

The machine buzzes as Pepper begins to speak. "Scales, It's me. Thanks to the meddling of the Cornerian Senate the war will come sooner then expected. Prepare your troops, I shall prepare mine. Our revenge will soon be complete."

Pepper then turns off his computer and begins to take off his robe. He places it in a small metal suitcase to the right of his desk. He begins to cough some more, only more heavily this time. He opens a small drawer in the top of his desk. It's filled with dozens of medicine bottles. He takes one and cracks it open. He inhales the last three pills in the container. Almost instantly, his skin color begins returning to normal and his eyes lose their reddish glow. He packs a few bottles in his suitcase and closes it. He pushes an intercom on his wrist.

"Sal.. Prepare a vessel for takeoff, I have some unfinished business to attend to..." Pepper chuckles lightly as he turns off the intercom.

***

It is a cold, sad day on Fichina. Panther's brother is being buried in a small snow filled cemetery located on the outskirts of the city. The wind is surprisingly calm. I feel very awkward being here, as I am the only fox in the crowd. Everyone else is a panther or some other type of cat. I didn't realize how much family and friends Panther really had. Wolf and Leon refused to come, but Panther wanted me along for support. I wanted to come as well, some feeling of guilt was drawing me to this place. That and the fact that Panther wanted me to remember him. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't. I met his whole family. Aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, sisters, brothers, his mother and father. There are many children in attendance. Many of them are too young to understand what is happening. I'm wearing a black dress that I had just bought yesterday. Everyone else was wearing dark blue clothing, probably because black didn't go well with their fur.

The only other person who wasn't a Panther was the one who was gonna deliver the funeral speech. He was a tiger, dressed in a black suit and tie. After I had exchanged various introductions with numerous relatives, Panther and I take our seats in the front row to hear the speech, he holds my hand lightly. The tiger waves his hands, everyone sits down as he walks up to a small platform in front of us.

He speaks in a fluent voice, kind voice. "Welcome friends and family, I'm glad that all of you chose to come today. We have come to honor the life of Kobi Caroso. Many of you here today, knew Kobi very well. You'd know that he lead a very happy and fulfilling life. He brought joy to everyone around him. He wouldn't want us to focus on his death, so we shall focus on his life."

I take in many words as I'm sitting and listening to the speech. I learn many things that I never knew before. I know now that he loved snowboarding, ice fishing, camping, cooking and all kinds of other details that I couldn't have possibly figured out on my own.

"Lastly," the tiger says as he concludes. "We know that Kobi always tried to settle the conflicts he faced in his life peacefully. And that's what he'll be remembered for. Thank you for coming here to honor him, and may your day be blessed with warm feelings."

There is a light applause as the tiger steps down from the podium. As I wipe away a few tears I notice that Kobi's coffin is carefully being lowered into the ground. Everyone slowly gets up from their chairs and they place red roses onto the coffin. As I put mine on the coffin, I look over to my right and I notice that Panther is walking away from the crowd. I pay my respects to the people around me and I start to follow Panther. He's just walking in the snow, the wind is beginning to pick up. After about a minute of slow walking he stops suddenly and stares at the vast mountains off in the distance.

He notices me without turning around and says. "I grew up here. This was the only place I knew about for a long time."

"I figured that," I reply as I walk up closer and stare at the mountains too. "Your family is pretty amazing. I don't remember mine very well."

"Kobi and I used to play in those mountains when we were kids. We'd camp out for days at a time." Panther says as he smiles slightly.

I smile too as I laugh lightly. "You boys must have worried your mother sick back then."

"Yeah we did," Panther replies casually. "She still worries for me sometimes. I know you don't remember me very well Nikki. But I hope that one day you will."

I put my head down and turn away, slightly embarrassed. "We uh, should get going."

"You're right," Panther smiles. "It's time to finish what Kobi started. Everything he worked for will mean nothing if we don't fulfill his final wish."

Panther hugs me lightly as we start to walk back to the city. He made a promise to his brother. I have made the same one in my head. Scales must be stopped and I need to remember why he's after me.


	10. First Date

Here it is, chapter nine. I hope you guys enjoy it. James Grant's killer is finally revealed. In case you didn't know, that's Nikki's uncle.

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**Chapter 9: First Date**

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**_I'm still running, almost out of breath. The building's alarm system is still piercing through my ears, red lights keep flashing in my eyes. The same, feminine computer voice is carrying on in its usual voice. My head is throbbing from all the noise._

_"Alert!" The alarm rings. "An intruder has been detected in Sector Four! All scientific personnel evacuate the building until the threat is neutralized."_

_I stop dead in my tracks, my chest is aching badly. I can't run anymore, my legs are refusing to move. I gasp for air and lean against the metal wall beside me for support. I take in a few deep breaths as I lower my head and clutch my stomach._

_'I'm gonna die in this place,' I tell myself negatively. "Traitors always die. Why couldn't I have accepted the research-"_

_I stop thinking for a split second and interrupt myself. "No, the experiments going on here must be stopped. I will not tolerate the madness that has occurred here."_

_I suddenly hear a loud crashing noise come from the end of the hallway. I jump a little bit and turn towards it as I draw my blaster. I hear a muffled scream and the sick sound of tearing flesh. The metal wall bends outward in front of me, in the shape of a giant fist._

_'It's coming from the room beyond the wall.' I worriedly say to myself._

_I aim my blaster toward the huge dent in the wall as I hear another bang. This time it's much more louder and terrifying. The metal wall bursts open and a torso flies out of the room, a yellow bird in a red army uniform. I almost tremble in [url=".com/audio/listen/86969"]fear[/url] at what I see next. A huge nine foot tall sharpclaw-like creature, carrying a huge claymore, comes stomping out of the room. It's scales are a sickly yellow color, Its claws and fangs are stained with blood. It turns to me as it pierces me with its gaze._

_"Intruder!" The creature growls as it holds its sword in front of me. "I shall enjoy killing you..."_

_'****,' I curse inside. 'It has already begun.'_

_The tall mutant doesn't waste any time, it charges at me with an incredible ferocity. It swings its sword toward me as I side-step to the right. My tail misses it by mere inches. He growls and drags his sword across the metal floor, creating sparks. I quickly jump over the sword and I'm near the left wall again. It backs me into a corner, snarling loudly. With a quick reflex I aim at its head and fire. It avoids the lasers with a quick duck as I jump over it._

_"Fool," It snarls as it turns around. "I can't be killed by a pathetic little blaster."_

_It slowly lifts its sword off of the ground and I see my chance. I hop up on the sword and run up the creature's arm. I fire three shots aimed at its head and they hit. It yells in pain as it starts to lose its balance. As I wobble on its shoulder I fire again,and again until it topples over. It roars one last before halting. I sigh deeply and run off down the hallway, as I'm running, I see a familiar sign mounted onto the wall. It simply tells me that the exit to Venom laboratories is close..._

***

I wake up suddenly, startled and confused. My head is pounding and my throat is parched. After a few seconds I remember where I am. Safe and sound in a small Fichinan motel room, my locked door reassures me that I'm okay. We each got a separate room, with a small bathroom, bedroom a table two chairs and a small holovision equipped with the local news. I wipe the sweat out of my eyes and take a deep breath of relief. I turn my head to the left and I stare at the clock. The numbers two and eighteen stare back at me in bright green. I sigh as I kick off my bed sheets and walk to the bathroom.

I stare at myself through the dirty mirror and I can tell that my eyes are bloodshot, I feel exhausted. I groan as I rub my head and start the water running for a shower. It takes me about an hour to get cleaned up and dressed in a simple red t-shirt and gray cargo pants. I thought it took longer, but when I look at the clock again it says three-thirty six. Then I remembered about Panther talking about the coffee shop just down the street. It's open twenty-eight hours a day, Fichinan time.

'_Guess I should have a coffee or something._' I say to myself as I grab a thick coat laying on top of the table.

Fichina is very cold at night, about -45̊ C. I walk up to my room door and it slides open as I insert my card key. I feel a huge rush of cold air hit my face. I step outside as another memory suddenly flashes through my head.

***

_Darkness is all around me, I am laying down on some sort of bed. I hear the muffled shuffling of something. I turn on a small pink lamp to my right, which lights the room up partially. I raise my head up slowly and I begin to see some of the room. The walls and floor are both made out of some kind of wood, it looks old and tarnished. Various toys are scattered around the floor, balls and small wooden spaceships painted blue and white. I see a wooden door with a metal knob in the upper right corner of the room. I cautiously climb off of the bed and tiptoe towards the door. The closer I get to it, the bigger it looks. when I reach it I notice that it is a huge door, over twice my height. I reach up on my tippy toes and grab the knob. I just manage to twist and pull it slightly and the door slowly creeks open. I peer out of the doorway and I notice that I'm looking at a hallway. The floor and walls are also made of the same wood, various pictures are fastened on the walls. My uncle and I are in most of them, along with more people that I do not recognize._

_The shuffling sound has grown louder now and I notice that my uncle's bedroom door is open. The sound must be coming from in there. I walk up slowly as I rub my tired eyes. I see a suitcase on my uncle's bed. He's frantically packing full of various types of clothing. He looks over and notices me standing in the doorway. He has a very [url=".com/audio/listen/151445"]worried[/url] look on his face._

_"Uncle..." I peep out. "What's wrong?"_

_He stops packing for a second, turns to me and says. "We need to go away for a few days sweetie. We'll go visit Auntie Andrea on Trest island. Remember the pond with all the fish? You should like it there."_

_"But," I murmur lightly. "I don't wanna visit Auntie Andrea right now."_

_He looks at me sternly and says. "We don't have a choice Nikki, it's not safe for us here. Now go and put some of your clothes and toys in your backpack. We'll be leaving shortly."_

_I tearfully walk out of the room, confused. I don't understand why we have to leave the village. As I'm entering my room I hear a unfriendly, thunderous knocking at the front door that scares me. I suddenly hear the thudding of footsteps and I turn around just in time to see my uncle lift me up in a panic. I see a look on his face that I've never seen before. Fear. He runs down the hallway, through the dining room and into the kitchen. He goes to the sink, opens up the wooden cabinets underneath it and puts me inside. The knocking is even more violent now, I think I heard some wood splintering._

_"Dr. Grant!" I hear someone yell. "We know you're in there! You left your balcony lights on you fool!"_

_My uncle turns away from the door and turns to face me. The look on his face is one of concern and regret._

_"No matter what happens," He whispers. "No matter what you see, you stay in here okay?"_

_"Yes uncle," I begin to cry as I hug his arm tightly._

_He gently slides me off of his arm and shuts the cabinet doors. A few seconds later I hear a loud crash, they must have kicked the front door down. As my eyes adjust to the darkness I notice that a small hatchet is hanging on the back of the cabinet door. I pull on it with both hands and in comes loose. It's surprisingly light, despite being made of metal. I suddenly hear voices, both familiar and unfamiliar._

_"Well well well... trying to run are we?" I hear the unfamiliar voice say. "You should know by now that resistance is futile."_

_"Look," My uncle says. "You have no right to be here. I want you thugs out of my house!"_

_"We have every right!" I hear a familiar voice growl. "You haven't payed your debt on time. That makes our boss very displeased."_

_"I can pay," I hear my uncle say worriedly. "I'll pay anything you want just... give me another week."_

_"Pay?" I hear the familiar voice scoff. "You owe three million credits... I hardly think you can pay that. It's now time to collect on your debt. No more deals for you."_

_I gasp as I hear the sound of punches, one right after the other. I hear my uncle grunting and yelling in pain. I hear one of the thugs laugh. I creek open the cabinet door slightly and I'm shocked at what I see. My uncle is in the dining room, along with two other ugly creatures. I recognize both of them, however I cannot think of where I saw the other one. My uncle is laying on the floor, gasping for breath. His face is covered in blood. I see my uncle's attacker pull out a knife from his belt._

_"Well... you're useless and weak. It's time for you to be silenced before you spill our bosses secrets." the familiar figure says._

_I close my eyes as I hear one final scream, I open them again and I see the knife embedded in my uncle's chest. I begin to cry out and scream. Not even thinking, I leap out of the cabinet doors, axe in hand. My uncle's killer turns to face me._

_"Now, now young one... just calm down," He snarls as he holds his left hand in front of me. "you'd be very valuable to our organization."_

_As he reaches for me, I close my eyes and swing the axe. I hear a loud scream, torturous scream. I open my eyes again and I notice a scaly green hand, covered in blood, on the wooden floor in front of me. I look over to the person who killed my uncle and I see him clutching his left wrist where his hand used to be. He tries to stop the bleeding by wrapping part of the neaby tablecloth around his wound. He's yelling and moaning in pain. I drop the axe and run through the dining room and into the hallway closet. I try to hide amongst the dirty clothes as I hear the sound of an intercom transmission crackling._

_"All units report back to the ship immediately, Star Fox is engaging our fleet. We must leave the planet, over." An unfamiliar voice crackles._

_"Commander Scales." I hear the other thug say. "We'd better get you to the medical station right away."_

_"I swear," Scales growls through pain. "I'll be a general someday. And when I am, that little girl will die by my hand."_

_I hear the sounds of feet running and eventually fading away. With no other noise, I hear the sounds of countless screams coming from outside. I untangle myself from the pile of clothes and open the door. I run down the hallway and into the dining room. I see my uncle laying on the ground and I run up to him._

_"Uncle!" I scream loudly. "Wake up! Please! Wake up! Uncle!!!!!!"_

_But there is no answer, I here only the sound of fire outside and countless blaster shots as everything fades out._

***

I suddenly notice that I'm crying and shivering. The cold weather has begun to bite through my coat and the wind has ceased. my tears are starting to freeze.

'_Scales..._' I ponder bitterly as I wiped some frozen tears off my cheeks. '_...has ruined everything good about my life. He's killed people that I care for deeply. Now I know why he hates me. I humiliated him, I've been the only one that has stood up to him over all these years. No one else has bested him but me.'_

I start walking to the coffee shop as my mind wanders even more. '_Nothing can bring back Kobi or my uncle. But scales must be stopped. I am more determined then ever to bring an end to his slaugher. No one in the Lylat system should have to suffer like I have._'

After a couple more minutes of walking I reach the coffee shop. It's a small building with silver ceramic walls and a blue metallic roof. As I enter I smell the sweet smell of coffee beans and a small breeze of warm air hits my face. I hear a soft tune playing lightly on the radio I rub the snow off of my head and look around the diner. I notice that Panther is sitting at one of the tables, reading some sort of newspaper and sipping on some coffee. He looks up from his newspaper and sees me. I smile and wave lightly, he waves back and motions me to sit down across from him. I walk up to his table and sit down.

"Couldn't sleep?" Panther asks rhetorically.

"No, not really," I say as I order a coffee through the table's computer. "What about you?"

"Same," He sighs. "What kept you up?"

"My," I hesitate slightly. "Past."

"Yeah," Panther replies. "You mean your uncle don't you?"

I feel a sudden shockwave go through me. "You knew him?" I ask, dumbfounded.

"I met him a few times when I was quite young. He used to live here on Fichina, before he moved to Fortuna when your folks." Panther stops, he knows that he doesn't need to finish the sentence.

All of a sudden, a robot on a single wheel rolls up to our table, coffee in its metal hand.

"Here's your coffee hon!" It says in a very peppy feminine voice as it places the coffee on the table and speeds away. I can't help but chuckle a little.

"Anyway," Panther continues as I put some cream in my coffee. "He used to teach Kobi and I how to build robots. Although we barely understood what he was talking about, we had fun messing around with them."

I laugh lightly. "I don't remember much about my uncle's robotic work."

"Neither do I," Panther responds quickly. "I barely remember him sadly. What do you remember?"

I hesitate as I take a sip of coffee, "Not too much. I remember his face, the softness of his fur. His kindness, his humble attitude. I remember how secure and happy I felt in his arms. His voice."

I hesitate again as I take another sip of coffee, "His death."

Panther looks at me with a hint of regret in his eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry open old wounds."

"The wound is still fresh I'm afraid," I feel awkward as I drink more coffee. "I just remembered it this morning."

"Is that what woke you?" he questions thoughtfully.

"No," I reply. "I keep having these dreams about-"

"Venom?" Panther says as he finishes my sentence.

Again, I'm shocked because it's like he's reading my mind.

"How did you-" I studder.

"That's where we met you." Panther says before I have a chance to finish. "You were a researcher and... we rescued you."

"When was this?" I ask in a confused way.

"About six months ago." Panther answers, "It's kinda ironic that we're going back, in an attempt to finish what you started."

"I don't understand," I mumble as I finish my coffee, "Finish what?"

"You'll remember when we get there." Panther replies hastily. "Although I wish you'd remember us."

Panther pauses for a second. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't blame you for not remembering."

"It's okay," I say awkwardly. "I do want to remember. I just... haven't yet."

"It's fine Nikki." Panther responds, trying to hide his slight embarrassment. "I'm always here for you. You at least know that."

I smile as I nod. I pull some silver coins out off my pocket.

"My treat?" I say as I put the money on the table.

"Sure," Panther says as he laughs lightly. "but I'm paying next time."

We both laugh again as we get up off of the chairs and exit the diner. We walk out into the freezing cold, back to the hanger of Fichina City.


	11. Venom's Trap

Here it is, chapter ten. This graphic is blood in certain parts. Be weary.  


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**Chapter 10: Venom's Trap**

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Venom. The massive, red planet lies on the distant outskirts of the Lylat system. It looks like a giant sphere of rusty garbage from space. Venom has been a war-torn world for the past few decades. It lost almost ninety-five percent of its environmental stability during that destructive time period. Forests, oceans, icecaps and wildlife can no longer be found on its red, rusty surface. Instead, you would discover that it's surface is covered in scrap metal. Remains of thousands of Lylat ships, half buried and barely recognizable, continue to rust away slowly. Venom's atmosphere is thick with hazy fog, which is traces of severe pollutants that can be seen from space. It is also sparsely populated, containing only twenty-two underground cities across the vast world. There are a few scattered building complexes on the surface however but they're new. Research laboratories that have been secretly developed by a mysterious company, under the direct control of Venom's emperor.

Off in Venom space, a large Cornerian vessel is cautiously approaching the planet. The people on board are on a desperate mission to stop a war that threatens the peace of the Lylat system. They hope to uncover a sinister plot in the process. General Pepper is sitting in the ships main control room. The walls are silver, there is a large heat-resistant windshield in the front part of the room. Under it are various computers that control every function of the ship. The ship's pitch, stabilizers, G-diffusers, accelerators, brakes, scanners and internal/external navigation systems are all meticulously controlled by various pilots and engineers. There are seven of them, as well as twenty Cornerian soldiers and five senators on the _Gray Eagle_. The five senators are all against the Cornerian counsel's decision to go to war against Sauria. Their names are: Bill Grey, Peggy Redd, John Anderson, Kate Shaw and Aaron Greenwich. A bulldog, a fox, a weasel, a bear and a frog. Pepper is wearing his red general uniform, the five senators are all dressed in gray attire.

"Sir," The navigation scanning pilot says officially. "Our scanners indicate that Star Fox has just entered Venom's atmosphere. They're approaching some sort of large building complex."

Pepper gets up off of his chair and replies. "Good, we will need all the help we can get if we are to solve this situation peacefully."

***

Meanwhile, on the planet's surface, Star Fox is approaching the outskirts of a large dome-like structure. Fox, Falco, Krystal and Slippy settle down on a smooth plain of rocks on the northern side of the compound. It boarders a huge crevice that descends hundreds of feet. The air is hazy because the wind is blowing iron dust up off of the surface. Before they even exit their arwings the see the huge building off in the distance. As Fox gets out of his arwing he feels a rush of warm air hit his face. The smell of tar and toxic chemicals in the air make his eyes sting for a second. He shuts his eyes quickly, rubs them and opens them again. As he tightens his blaster belt around his waist he looks toward the massive dome and sees a white lizard in a red uniform walking towards his team. Fox walks up to him and nods. The reptile salutes them as he greets them.

"Welcome to Venom travelerss. My name iss Captain Curtis Miller," He speaks with no hint of hostility. "I am the head of ssecurity here at Venom Tricell Laboratoriess Inc. Our ressearcherss create vacciness for the people of the Lylat system."

"Nice to meet you," Fox says as he shakes his hand. "My name is Fox McCloud, and these are my team members."

"Sstar Fox?" Curtis questions, surprised. "Now what bringss a famous team like yourss to this facility of mine?"

"We've received a distress call from the building," Krystal replies quickly. "Corneria sent us to investigate."

"Disstress call?" He sighs deeply. "I'm sso ssorry to have wasted your time my dear. We have a prisson located underneath thiss facility. It's filled with mentally unsstable and dangerouss people. We had a major riot a few dayss ago, thingss have only begun to die down. It'ss very likely that the call came from one of the rioterss when they were exploring our labss. Probably just a damn prank. I can assure you that we hate piratess too."

"Even though we believe you," Falco persists. "We have to be absolutely sure. You understand the tension between Venom and Corneria. We still need to make an official report about the stability of this company of yours."

Curtis smiles. "Of coursse. I'll give you a perssonal tour of this facility mysself. You won't have any doubtss afterwardss."

He turns around and starts walking towards the dome. The whole team follows closely, keeping a lookout for any nearby pirates. As they approach the building they see a huge tower, embedded in one corner of the building. On the top of it there is a green sphere that appears to be stabilizing electricity around it.

"What's that? I've never seen anything like it before," Slippy ponders as he points to the tower, dumbfounded.

"It's a..." Curtis hesitates. "...Wireless hacking ray disruptor. There are many encamped pirates in the wildlands around us. All of them would like nothing more than to destroy or steal our development data. We need that tower, otherwise this whole facility's stability will fall apart."

Satisfied with the slightly complex answer, Slippy decides to keep his mouth shut. As they approach the huge sealed doors, they see four well armed guards. They all salute Curtis as one of them pulls a keycard from his pocket. He slides it through a device and the door slides open. The inside of the building smells sweet and feels refreshing compared to the harsh climate outside. When the last team member, Slippy, enters the complex the doors seal shut with a loud bang.

***

After a few more minutes, The _Gray Eagle_ begins to descend onto Venom. Pepper orders the navigational pilot to land near the southern portion of the building. The rocks are smoother and more stable then the ones that Star Fox landed on. As the ship settles its landing platforms open. General Pepper walks to the the middle of the control room as he gestures. It was his customized signal that told everyone to remain alert.

"Commander Skyler," Pepper orders. "Escort the Cornerian senators to the facility, I'll join you in a few minutes."

"Yes sir!" Skyler shouts as he salutes. "My men will guard them with our lives."

The politicians walk out of the ship, one by one. Billy Grey takes one final look at Pepper before he walks out and nods approvingly. The only men left on the ship are the pilots. Pepper steps out of the middle of the control room and turns toward the ship's computer consoles. They're on a slightly lower level then the rest of the vessel, so they cannot be seen from the control room.

"Everyone!" Pepper raises his voice at the pilots. "You all deserve a much needed break. Go to the kitchen and make yourselves coffee and some food."

They all tilt their heads and stare at each other, slightly confused. They mutter amongst themselves and eventually decide that it's a good idea. With a small sense of relief, they all head towards the kitchen, which is in the left section of the _Gray Eagle_. When they have all left the control room, Pepper turns toward the mainframe computer.

'The time is _now_,' Pepper says to himself.

He types a few words on the command prompt.

C: KITCHEN CAMFEED

C: ACTIVATE NIGHTVISION? (Y/N)

C: Y

C: INFRARED BEAM ACTIVATED

A live feed of the kitchen camera comes in on the monitor. The camera's infrared beam will allow it to see in the dark. The room is small and has a single entrance door. There is a kitchen counter to the right of the door and a fridge to the left of it. There are three round glass tables, with metal plates and silverware on them. Each table has four glass chairs to accompany it. The floor, walls and ceiling are all made of insulated metal.

"Good," Pepper says in a different voice as his eyes begin to glow red. "they're all in there."

He types a couple more commands into the computer.

C: ACTIVATE WINDOW SHUTTERS

C: CLOSE SHUTTERS? (Y/N)

C: Y

C: WINDOW SHUTTERS CLOSED

C: AIRLOCK DOOR

C: DOOR-008 SEALED

The window shudders slam shut, as the door quickly seals. The room is now in complete darkness, visible only through the camera. The pilots begin to shout amongst themselves in panic.

"Oy!" one of them yells into the camera. "What the hell are you doin'? Let us out! We're still in here!"

Without speaking, Pepper smashes the computer's speakers with his fist. After groaning in light pain, he types in one final order.

C: RELEASE EXPERIMENTAL SUBSTANCE #11

C: WARNING WARNING EXTREME DANGER. PLEASE INSURE THAT ALL PERSONNEL HAVE EVACUATED THE DISTRIBUTION AREA. PROCEED? (Y/N)

C: Y

C: COMPOUND RELEASED

The pilots begin to scream as they realize what's happening. They are being gassed. A couple of them open the cabinets looking for something to cover the vents with. One trips over a glass chair and cracks his head on the glass table. Blood drips down through the cracked glass table onto the floor. Three others simply pound on the door violently. The last one simply holds her breath. But it is too late. Within seconds they all collapse, two fall on glass chairs, shattering them. The other five simply drop to the floor, dead. Blood is slowly dripping out of their mouths and noses. Their eyes are rotting at a rapid rate.

Pepper smiles, phase one was complete. He smashes the computer monitor with a broken speaker in order to terminate the camera's feed. He coughs up blood and groans in pain, his eyes are glowing redder. He looks up, through the glass windshield and notices a well armed group of Venom soldiers dashing towards the ship.

"I cannot let my identity slip now," He grumbles in a sinister, deep voice.

His eyes glow even redder as he takes his silver case out of a secret compartment behind him. He opens it up, inputs key-code 108, and pulls out his black robe. He takes off his general cap and shirt and puts on the robe quickly. He takes a few pills out of one of the bottles and gulps them down hastily. He closes the briefcase just in time to hear several blaster shots coming from outside.

"We can't hold them back!" He hears a soldier shout.

"Get Senator Bill and Kate back in the ship!" He hears Commander Skyler yell fearfully.

"I can fight!" Bill responds quickly. "Just get her to safety."

Pepper pulls out a combat knife from his belt and crouches in the low part of the control room. This makes it impossible for anyone to see him from almost every angle. He hears the sounds of footsteps running into the room.

"General Pepper? Where are you?" He listens as Skyler questions in a worried manner.

Pepper readies his knife as he hears Skyler walking closer and closer. He's coming down the stairs and Pepper sees his moment. He leaps out from his hiding place with am amazing display of agility. Skyler has a look of horror in his eyes as Pepper drives the knife in his chest and tears it out again. Kate screams as Pepper pushes Skyler's body into a nearby computer monitor. He dashes towards her, grabs her throat and throws her across the room. She lands on the mainframe power module. She stops screaming as her whole body is burnt by electricity.

Bill and the last two remaining Cornerian soldiers run into the ship as soon they hear the ear piercing scream, but they are moments too late to save anyone. Shocked by Pepper's betrayal, the soldiers begin to flee in terror. Pepper pulls Skyler's blaster from its hostler and fires twice. Each laser pierces the back of each soldier's head, they fall with a horrifying thud. Bill ducks just as another shot singes past his ear. He pulls both blasters from his fallen comrades and fires at Pepper rapidly. Pepper dodges each laser with an incredible speed, almost inhuman. He runs up to Bill and knocks both blasters out of his hands with so much force that Bill loses his balance. With his other hand, Pepper quickly grabs him by the neck and drags him out of the ship and onto the iron covered rocks. Pepper continues to pull him towards the cliff's edge, scraping his back on the jagged rocks. Bill is gasping for breath so Pepper loosens his grip slightly as he lifts him up over the rusted canyon.

"You will," Bill says with a strained voice. "Pay for your betrayal Pepper..."

Pepper simply laughs evilly and says. "No Bill... Corneria will pay for _its_ betrayal."

Without saying another word, Pepper throws Bill over the two hundred foot cliff. He disappears after about forty feet, the air is to hazy to see beyond that. Satisfied, Pepper turns away from the cliff and turns his attention to the remaining Venom soldiers. Five are left, as well as the captain of the group, making six in total. The captain salutes as Pepper approaches him.

"Get these bodies into the ship," Pepper orders in his deep voice. "And then blow it up."

"As you wish my lord," The canine captain replies. "Anything else for today?"

"No, that is all." Pepper says fiendishly. "I have a Fox to capture so do not let _anyone_ land back here. I will hold you responsible if any outside interference screws with my plans."

Pepper begins to walk up to the back door of the facility, satisfied and happy. As he types in a five digit access code into the door's keypad, he hears a massive explosion in the distance. He begins to cackle cunningly as he walks into the building, everything is going according to plan.

***

Meanwhile, back in Venom space, four small fighters are approaching the war-torn planet. They are quite possibly the last hope for every citizen in the Lylat system.

I feel tired. My back and legs are stiff and aching. Then again, I've been sitting for three hours straight so I should have anticipated this. I'm wearing a dark t-shirt and red velvet pants. As I stare off into distant space and see Venom for the first time, no memories rushing through me.

'_It's strange,_' I think softly. '_I have no memory of this planet. I only have my dreams. They must be forgotten memories, ones that must be to terrible to remember._'

"_Finally!_" Leon says loudly into the intercom. "_I can't wait to land, my ass feels like it's on fire._"

I can't help but laugh, as Leon described my feelings perfectly.

"Yeah," Panther replies, obviously annoyed. "_That's way too much information Leon._"

"_Stop joking around Leon,_" Wolf states seriously. "_Our mission here is very important, we must remain alert._"

"_Yeah yeah, I know Wolf._" Leon responds, aggravated.

"_Remember Nikki,_" Wolf speaks to me concernedly. "_Everyone with a blaster is hostile. Do not hesitate to shoot them or it'll cost you your life._"

"I will not hesitate," I reply honestly. "I will not let myself."

As we fly into the planet's atmosphere I see faint smoke off in the distance. It's colored differently then the rest of the atmosphere.

"Look! There's smoke coming from over there!" I shout out.

"_There's always smoke rising from Venom's surface Nikki,_" Leon replies as if he's trying to educate me.

As we fly in closer, I see that the smoke is thick and black.

"It's fresh," I state worriedly.

"_She's right,_" Panther says, agreeing. "_Something organic is burning. Debris doesn't give off smoke like that._"

We hover in closer still and I'm horrified at what I see. It appears that large ship has been blown up into several pieces. I can't clearly tell but it appears to have been a mid-sized convoy vessel. There are at least thirty, no forty, bodies burning inside the ship. The top of the ship is completely caved in, allowing us to see the inside of it. I can see several green letters engraved on the ship. G, R, Y , E, A and L, the rest are missing or illegible. Six soldiers are scattered around the burning ship. one is wearing a maroon-colored uniform, the other five are in red ones. They all have fully automatic blaster rifles in their hands. They start firing at us as soon as they us. I pull my ship to the right to dodge the blaster fire. With my wolfen sideways I fire at the soldier in the different colored uniform. Small explosions hit him hard as his dismembered body shatters. The other soldiers begin to run toward a large, towering building in the distance. Fear can be seen in their facial expressions. Wolf and Panther both shoot at the small group, wiping out three of them.

"_Leon!_" Wolf shouts. "_Take 'em out before they give away our position!_"

Without saying a word Leon fires twice. The lasers from his Wolfen are white, each one vaporizes its target, leaving only smoldering boots behind.

"I want lasers like that," I blurt out jokingly.

"_They're kinda illegal. They're too brutal for most people,_" Panther replies while referring to Leon.

"_Well they don't feel too much after the first few seconds anyway._" Leon responds sarcastically.

Having my own question answered we land our wolfens near the shattered ship. As my cockpit opens, a horrible stench enters my nostrils. I cover my nose and nearly throw up as I exit my wolfen. Wolf approaches the vessel and rubs the hull of it with his hands. Chipped, gray paint can be seen on his fingertips.

"Cornerian," Wolf says to himself as he wipes off his hand. "I thought so."

"What the hell happened here?" Leon asks rhetorically.

"My guess is that Corneria tried to negotiate with Venom peacefully. Looks like they failed," Wolf sighs deeply. "The war has already begun."

I suddenly hear noises coming from the cliff behind me and I gasp in surprise. I turn around and I see a bulldog attempting to climb his way up the cliff.

"Help me," He says hoarsely. "please."

Without thinking I reach out with my arms and begin to pull him up with all my might. It's surprisingly easy, I don't know why but he feels very light. I get him to solid ground and lay him down on his back while I support his head. I look into his eyes and notice that they're out of focus.

"Get him some water!" I hear Panther shout from behind me. "Quickly!"

The bulldog's combat vest is torn and bloody. It has a strange badge on its right pocket. The left sleeve is completely shredded and his arm is covered in dried blood. He grabs onto my arm lightly as he speaks.

"Thank you," He says with a weak, fading out voice.

"Stay with me," I say with a tear in my eye. "Hold on. Your going to be alright."

He coughs loudly and sighs. His eyes start to close as he loses his grasp of my arm.


	12. Glash's Past

Hi everyone. Here's chapter 11. It's one of the last chapters to have an "audio" log. I hope you enjoy it. Just so everyone knows I added these logs into the chapters long after they were written. I had planned on doing one for every single chapter, but I've been too busy. Also, I believe this is the first flashback that's not from Nikki's perspective. Anyway I hope all of you continue to enjoy this tale.

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**Chapter 11: Glash's Past**

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**Audio Log #11: Recorded by Dr. Nikki Grant on March 17th, 2351. 19:23 Venom time. Subject: Outbreak of a new super virus.

_**Hello. This is the audio log of Dr. Nikki Grant, Head Researcher at Tricell laboratories. Today's date is March seventeenth of the Lylat year twenty-three fifty-one. Today, I have received information about a new virus that has broken out amongst the citizens of Venom. The common populace is in a state of panic, riots have ensued in a few of the infected cities. They've also been quarantined by the local military and various Tricell representatives. The rate of infection is spreading extremely quickly and I fear that I won't be able to stop it.**_

A deep sigh can be heard as Nikki continues.

_**Despite having existed for less than forty-eight hours, it continues to grow stronger. This new virus is unlike anything that I have ever encountered before. Symptoms have ranged from a slight headache and vomiting to major insanity and self mutilation. In the advanced stages of infection, the victims had a massive seizure and died. Over five hundred people have been killed by this new virus today alone, mostly children. I am classifying this new bug as a super virus, because as I said before it is unlike anything I have ever seen. The rate at which the infection spreads through the body is incredible, which leads me to believe the virus spreads through the bloodstream. I will know more tomorrow when I conduct autopsies on some of the victims. If I know where the infection starts, I can find away to prevent it. I'll find a cure eventually. Dr. Grant out.**_

***END OF LOG***

***

I tilt my head downward, staring at the bulldog again. His body is scorned with several lacerations. His chest is still rising and falling rhythmically, he's still alive thank god. He slowly opens his eyes again and looks at me sadly.

"Sorry," He mumbles. "I'm just tired, I'm... I'm fine."

I turn my head around and I notice that Panther is standing over me with a canteen in his hand.

"Lets just get you sitting first okay?" I respond kindly as I support his back and lift him up.

Supporting himself with his left arm he eventually manages to sit up, groaning with disdain. Panther kneels down so that he can reach the canteen. He takes the canteen from Panther's hand and takes in a several huge gulps.

"Thank you," He manages to cough as he hands the empty canteen back to Panther. "I never thought I'd be rescued... at least not by Star Wolf."

He turns to Wolf, who is standing beside Panther, and says. "Which makes me wonder, why are you here Wolf?"

I'm a bit stunned because it's obvious that everyone here knows who this bulldog is. I must be the only one who doesn't.

"We came here to stop a war Bill," Wolf sighs deeply. "But it appears to have already started..."

Bill tries to stand up as I struggle to keep him balanced. His weight isn't the problem. I never realized how awkward it is to hold onto someone while kneeling. He yelps in a bit of agony as he tries to support himself on his injured arm. After a few more seconds he eventually stands upright and I let go of his arm.

"This is Nikki Grant, our newest member," Wolf says as he motions his hand towards me. "From the look on your faces I take it that you two don't know each other."

"I'm Bill Grey, Cornerian sergeant and senator." He says as he shakes my hand, softly.

"Nikki Grant," I reply cautiously. "Ex-Venom scientist. I... don't know much else."

Bill turns to face Wolf again as he quickly changes the conversation. "You didn't answer my question Wolf. _Why_ are you here? Who hired you? You never do anything unless there is money involved. A lot of it."

"We're on a personal mission." Panther growls with a hint of anger. "Our desire is to stop Scales by any means necessary. His death will be enough pay for all of us."

"Scales?" Bill responds, obviously surprised. "He has returned? Well that just makes the current situation much more complicated. But it makes sense, in a way."

"What do you mean?" I interrupt, confused. "We already know about Venom's bioweapons and alliance with Scales' army. We are here to put an end to it."

Bill stares at me and sighs. "We were set up. There was, rather, _is_ a traitor within the Cornerian army. He's high ranked and well respected by everyone in Corneria. The majority of the Cornerian senate was led astray, obviously from the evidence he must have planted. Blinded by their lust for power and control, They came to the conclusion that Sauria was responsible for every pirate-related attack throughout the past year. Knowing this, the traitor sent us here along with five other senators. They refused to believe the false accusations, as did I."

Bill turns back toward the ship with a great sadness in his eyes before continuing. "They are all dead. We were outnumbered by several Venom troops. They knew we were coming."

"Who is the traitor Bill?" Wolf questions worriedly. "If he's here then we must take him out along with this facility."

Bill gets a serious look on his face, and stares directly into his eyes. "Wolf, it's General Pepper. He's the traitor. He killed two Cornerian soldiers right in front of me. I tried to stop him but he was too fast. He must have had some sort of special training or chemical enhancements to his body. His strength and agility are greater than anything I've ever encountered before in my life. His eyes glowed red and his voice was altered in a unnerving way, almost as if it wasn't him. But it was, it was his face, his body. He responded to his name and military title, so his intelligence was obviously still intact."

A expression of great sorrow instantaneously fills Wolf's face. I didn't even see that much sorrow within him when Kobi died.

"Who's -" I start to ponder before I'm interrupted.

"He was my mentor," Wolf states regretfully. "He taught Bill, Fox and me everything we know. Hell, he even trained my father... and James McCloud. Before they disappeared of course."

"I'm not lying to you Wolf," Bill says honestly.

"I know," Wolf growls defensively. "you have no reason to lie about something like this. We shall consider him a target equal to Scales. If there is one thing that I cannot stand it's a traitor to my planet."

I begin to ponder on my deepest feelings as I hear all the words and emotions being displayed. Everyone, well except for Leon, has been affected by the coming war. This is going to be a hard blow for Star Fox to accept as well. They all want the war to end, either with a sense of honorable vengeance or with brutal revenge. But why do I desire it? I know that I want it to end too, but I don't really know _why_ I do. All I really want is to stop Scales, that I knew for sure. I don't really care about Corneria, Venom or Sauria or Fichina. I can only seem to focus on Fortuna, my home.

Hey, wait a second, that must be it. Yes, I see it now. We're all fighting for our homes. We will do anything to protect them. Although I'm still not sure how Leon fits into all of this.

"Do you have any long-range transmitting devices installed on your Wolfens?" I hear Bill say as my mind snaps back into reality. "I must contact Corneria as soon as possible."

"I'm afraid they don't," Leon sighs bitterly as he points towards the huge facility off in the distance, "That building should have one though."

The hazy Venom air clears as I turn to face the building. It's very tall, has a glass dome-shaped roof and vast metal walls. Even taller still is a huge tower that seems to be mounted into it. It's supported by huge structural steel beams and has a ball of energy encased on its top.

"We have to stop that tower from transmitting its signal." I say instinctively.

"Why?" Wolf replies. "It doesn't appear to be doing anything harmful to us right now. Besides, Tricell security goons will obviously notice if the power supply to it is disconnected."

It seems that in the instant Wolf says those words, another memory flashes through my brain.

***

_The air smells soft, sweet and very refreshing. I hear a radio playing a soft melody at very low volume. I'm in a brightly lit room, it appears to be some sort of laboratory. There are various scientific tools in front of me. petri dishes, microscopes, flasks, Bunsen burners and the like. There's also a computer monitor that is displaying some sort of cellular structure. There are about two dozen scientists and spectators in the room. They're all chattering amongst themselves with excitement in their voices._

_"She's done it," I hear a scientist say proudly. "She's finally found the cure."_

_"That's amazing," I hear someone else reply eagerly. "Our children will finally be able to roam the streets once again."_

_I look down at my chest and I notice that I'm wearing a black lab coat and pants. A name-tag quickly sweeps past my eyes, which reads: Nikki Grant, Head of Tricell Medical Division. I also notice that there is a sample of something under my microscope. That must be what's being displayed the computer screen in front of me. It is also on various holovisions around the room. The room suddenly becomes silent as I hear footsteps to my left. I look up and I notice a white lizard in a red army uniform. He has a serious but very concerned look on his face. I catch a brief look at his name-tag. It says: Curtis Miller, Head of Tricell Security Division._

_"Doctor Grant," He says as his face quickly fills with dread. "Have you really disscovered a cure?"_

_I feel a smile spread across my face. "Yes commander Curtis, take a look for yourself."_

_Curtis peers into the microscope as he adjusts a knob on it._

_"As you can see clearly see commander," I continue in a genuine way. "Your son's cells that were once infected have reverted back to their normal state. The once infected nuclei no longer show any hostility towards nearby cells and the scanners indicate no presence of K.V."_

_He starts crying tears of joy as I type a password into the computer. I look up just to glance at an open door at the far end of the lab. Everyone turns towards the door to see a smiling lizard boy walk into the room. As soon as he sees his father he begins to run with an amazing display of speed._

_"Papa!" The young one shouts as Curtis kneels down and embraces his son in his arms._

_"Ferry!" Curtis manages to shout out with tears of happiness. "You're awake!"_

_"Yes daddy," Ferry says while crying lightly. "But my feet hurt."_

_"It'ss okay," Curtis says as he embraces his son. "You're gonna be jusst fine. It's over now. The horrible monsster iss never gonna touch you again."_

_I wipe my eyes with my left hand and I notice that everyone else in the room is doing the same. The boy is going to live. Yes, he'll live and so will countless other children._

_"Thank you," I hear Curtis cry out as my memory fades. "Thank you sso much doctor Grant."_

***

"Are you alright?" I hear Panther say as he stops me from falling over.

We make eye-contact for a few brief seconds. Everyone around us exchanges awkward glances as I regain my entrance into reality.

"I'm fine," I say plainly as I casually stand on my own. "It's just another faint memory."

Remembering what Wolf said, I turn to face him and respond. "That tower is blocking all external communications, we must deactivate it."

"Okay," Wolf sighs, agreeing. "We'll shut it down first but I don't want any transmission sent until we're ready to leave. I am really not in the mood to fight the whole Cornerian fleet."

Bill starts to interrupt. "Under normal conditions I wouldn't normally trust you Wolf. But I don't really have a choice right now."

He tears some material from his cargo pants and uses it to bind his injured arm.

"You really shouldn't fight with a nasty wound like that." Wolf says as he tries look for an excuse to leave Bill behind.

"I have fought with a worse one before Wolf," Bill responds stubbornly. "I'd appreciate it if you'd stop looking for stupid reasons to keep me here."

"Fine," Wolf huffs, slightly annoyed. "Just stay with the group alight? We're going to do this as a team. Don't slow us down Bill."

Bill removes a modified revolver from his hostler and starts loading it with oddly colored bullets from a pouch on the left side of his belt.

"I won't slow anybody down." Bill replies as he puts the last bullet in the gun and seals it.

We finally start walking up towards the lab-company. We are gonna stop their bioweapon production in anyway possible, no matter what it takes.

***

Meanwhile, Fox and his team are in the eastern sector of the Tricell building, Curtis is doing utmost to distract them. It seems to be working, for now anyway. They are in a narrow corridor, many glass windows are embedded in the walls to allow people to see inside the various labs.

"And here," Curtis says as he continues his semi-boring lecture. "Thiss iss where our ressearcherss develop sserumss for use againsst harmful virussess."

"It's all very impressive Commander Curtis." Fox replies with slight disdain. "But we'd still like to see your communication equipment. We need to verify its condition."

"Yess of coursse," Curtis smiles authentically. "We are heading in that direction actually."

"Have any of the vaccine trial runs failed?" Slippy questions as he stares at the various scientists working in the labs.

Curtis gets a sad look in his eyes but quickly suppresses it

"One... only one." Curtis states in a simple way.

As Curtis says those words, an unforgettable memory flashes through him as if it were yesterday.

***

_Curtis is in a small apartment, his Tricell living quarters. It's located in the top level of the building's northernmost sector. He is relaxing on his bed when he is startled by a bone-chilling scream. In panic, he dashes out of his room. He stubs his toe as knocks down his end table, but he doesn't seem to notice. He runs down a narrow hallway which leads into his son's room. He sees him laying on the his bed, the pillows are shredded and his blanket is torn in half. Sweat is pouring off of his face as he is shivers. He turns towards his father, frowning._

_"Papa... my head is sore." Ferry manages to say with strained words._

_"I'm calling Dr. Grant. Don't worry Ferry you'll be just fine," He says as he pulls half of the blanket over his son and pushes the comm relay on his wrist._

_The device beeps, and Nikki's voice comes through a few seconds later._

_"Yes? What's wrong Commander? This line is for emergency use only," Nikki says in a sleepy voice._

_"It iss an emergency Doctor," He replies worriedly. "Ssomething iss wrong with Ferry. he hass a high fever, a really bad headache and he jusst sstopped sshivering."_

_"Dammit," Nikki responds, suddenly sounding more awake. "I'll be right there. Get a cold washcloth and place it on Ferry's forehead to get his fever down. I'll be there in a minute."_

_"Hurry," He says as he begins to cry. "Pleasse Nikki."_

_He turns off his communication device as he attempts to comfort his son._

_"Daddy, I'm scared," He peeps nervously._

_"Your gonna be just fine," Curtis replies confidently as he holds his son in his arms. "Doctor Grant will be here ssoon."_

_"I don't like her, she gives me needles." Ferry struggles to say._

_"They're good for you, the medicine sshe givess helpss you." He laughs lightly._

_Suddenly Curtis' apartment door slides open as Nikki rushes inside. Nikki lives on the same floor as Curtis, all the heads of Tricell's various departments do. She is wearing pink pajamas and a blue tank-top. She has a stethoscope around her neck and a small med-kit in her hand._

_"Curtis can you please get me a cold washcloth?" Nikki asks professionally. "We need to bring Ferry's fever down as soon as possible."_

_"Yess... of coursse doctor." He says as he slowly lays Ferry back down on the bed._

_He notices Nikki place the stethoscope on Ferry's chest as he walks out of the room. He makes a mad dash towards the kitchen. It's on the opposite side of the apartment from Ferry's room. He opens a cabinet beside the sink and pulls out a blue washcloth. He turns on the tap and begins to wet the washcloth as his heart continues to race. As he turns off the sink he hears another terrible scream and the sound of something shattering coming from his son's room. He runs in a panic, drops the washcloth in the hallway and almost makes it into Ferry's bedroom. He sees Nikki holding his son in her arms, she has a very worried look on her face._

_"He's going into shock." Nikki says in a worried way. "We must get him to the Tricell hospital on level fifty-two."_

_"What's wrong with him?" He shouts loudly as they leave his apartment._

_"I don't know," Nikki says as they run into a nearby elevator. "I've never seen anything like it before..."_

_Nikki presses the comm device on her wrist with her free hand and says. "This is doctor Grant. I need an emergency team ready to work on hospital level fifty-two. Something's happening to Ferry Miller."_

_"What is it?" someone replies through the device._

_"Something terrible..." Nikki replies concernedly._

***

All of a sudden, a loud alarm rings in Curtis' ears.

"Warning!" A feminine computer voice beeps. "Intruders have been detected in the southern sector! All security personnel are authorized to use deadly force until the threat is neutralized!"

"Damn!" Curtis yells. "More pirate sscum..."

"Do pirates attack this facility very often?" Fox questions as he grabs his blaster.

"Only a few timess a year," Curtis lies. "They're ussually not sstupid enough to attack uss directly like thiss."

"Maybe we can help," Falco says as he draws his weapon. "We have experience with them."

Curtis smiles, as he knows this is the perfect set-up. Fox needs to be caught alive but the others could die. Yes, If he were to do capture Fox himself his master would be pleased.

"Of coursse." Curtis says with excitement. "I can alwayss use ssome extra firepower."

With those words, Curtis and Star Fox head off towards the southern sector of the complex. He was close to his goal, but he wasn't really sure if he wanted it anymore. He used to know who was good and who was evil. But now... he wasn't sure.

'_I'll find out everything._' He ponders. '_Once I capture Fox and gain our leader's trust... I... I'm sure he'll tell me the truth._'

With a growing sense of uneasiness, Curtis continues to run through Tricell's halls.


	13. Seething Betrayal

Here it is, chapter twelve. The title of it is also the title of part two of this fic. This chapter has a good bit of action in it, probably not the best writer when it comes to that stuff. Anyway, enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 12: Seething Betrayal**

**

* * *

**

It is an arid and cold night on Sauria. The days are getting shorter as the winter season begins to ferment on the damaged world. The Lylat sun barely is barely able to shine through the hazy, poisonous and contaminated atmosphere. Ever since he started draining the magical power of the Krazoa, the planet has been withering away. If things continue at this rate, Sauria will be completely desolate within a few years. Scales continues to harvest this energy underneath Sauria's surface...

Scales is standing in a huge cavern interior, the walls and ceiling are made out of some sort of dark crystal. The ground is covered in a fine blue dust that resembles snow, but it is much brighter. The very air in the room is glowing with bright blue fog. Directly in front of Scales is some sort of ancient mechanism. It's circular in appearance with gold trim. A liquid as clear as water and as bight as the sun is being held on the top of the device. It's spherical and suspended into the air. Some type of force allows it to keep its shape. Scales grunts bitterly as he to walk up to it. As he reaches up to touch the strange fluid, a voice echos in his mind.

"Scales..." A Krazoa speaks weakly as it appears before him. "You have no idea what this power will do to you. Turn back and leave this temple at once!"

Scales simply scoffs. "It is_ I _whom you should fear. Once all of your power is mine no one will be able to stand against me. Your disheveled race will cease to exist."

"It is not your fate to win this war Scales. Your future will always be one filled with failure," The Krazoa replies honestly. "Your destiny is for _us_ to decide, not you."

"Enough!" Scales yells as he slams his fist on the device, which seems to power it up.

A deep humming noise emanates from the device as the Krazoa vanishes. The cave starts to shake as Scales continues to hold onto the ancient mechanism. The air becomes thicker and darker as the 'water' from the device starts pulsing through Scales' body. After about twenty seconds the device stops humming and glowing. The liquid has vanished. Scales body continues to glow as he grunts with pain. After a few seconds, the bluish tinge hanging in the air dissipates silently.

"Dammit," Scales curses quietly. "There wasn't much power in this one."

He continues to swear as he turns around. He notices a sharpclaw is approaching him, cloaked in black apparel. The sharpclaw has blue scales and yellow eyes. His claws and teeth are darkened, not by blood but by age. He has a scar across his nose and forehead, probably an old war wound.. He kneels and bows his head as Scales approaches him.

"What is it Johnathan?" Scales snarls in a bitter tone.

"I'm sorry to disturb you my master," Johnathan replies respectfully. "But your elite soldiers have landed on Venom. They await your orders my lord."

"Good... very good." He growls in an almost pleasant manner. "Order them to eliminate _everyone_, except Nikki and Fox. I want those two canines alive."

"Yes master." Johnathan replies as he gets up and turns around to leave the cavern.

"One more thing..." Scales snaps quickly.

"My lord?" Johnathan responds as he turns his head toward him.

"After you command them to enter the base I want you to head to Venom yourself," Scales explains. "Wait for the fighting to conclude and eliminate Glash by any means necessary."

"My liege? Glash is on our -" Johnathan manages to say before he gets interrupted.

" Do _not_ question my judgment!" Scales roars in a very angry way. "Glash is... emotionally unstable. He wants to execute his own revenge on Nikki. That is _my_ job... not the job of some teary-eyed parent."

"My apologies," Johnathan replies, intimidated. "I shouldn't have said that. It would be an honor to fulfill this task that you've appointed onto me."

Johnathan turns around and exits the enclave. As he's leaving Scales stares at his duel hooks where his left hand used to be. He roars loudly, which causes the whole cave to rumble. He slams his hook into the ancient device with a force so power that it explodes in a blue ball of energy. Even though the blast could have killed anyone within it's range, Scales doesn't even flinch.

"Soon..." Scales snarls he as begins to leave. "The Krazoa will be powerless. Once all their magical energy is under my control I will be immortal, all powerful. The right to be a god... is now mine!"

The powerless temple collapses as Scales dashes out of it. Meanwhile, back on Venom, the fight to destroy Tricell's bio-weaponry continues.

***

My eyes are beginning to water from the thick blaster smoke that is in the room. There are numerous indents in the walls that have been caused by the ongoing fight. My ears finally stop ringing as the sound of blaster fire ceases. I come behind my cover spot, which is nothing more than an overturned desk. I peer around the room diligently as I breathe normally again. We are in a large circular room. There are shattered computers, broken desks and chairs scattered throughout the room. The circular durasteel wall goes up at least thirty feet, various fractured windows align it. There are only three passageways that go in and out of the room, we came through the one in the south. The smaller ones are located in the east and west walls. I walk up to one of the still functioning computers on the other side of the room as I attempt to find some information.

"More will come," Wolf sighs, slightly annoyed.

A nearby, injured guard begins to groan in pain but Wolf quickly puts him out of his misery with a jab to the heart.

"We're wasting our time here." Bill comments as he reloads his revolver. "We need to find those bioweapon labs right away."

I insert a hacking device into the computer in an attempt to find some sort of map.

'_Come on... give me something you stupid machine..._' I grumble to myself.

"Where is Pepper anyway? Shouldn't we have caught up to him by now?" Leon ponders.

A holographic map shows up on the computer screen in front of me.

"Guys..." I say aloud. " the closest labs are on the fifteenth floor. According to this map the quickest way is to go through the east corridor. After that we should proceed through a hanger located to the north."

"Alright then, thanks Nikki," Wolf compliments pleasantly. "We shall head for the hanger at once."

I remove the hacking drive from the computer as I look over to my comrades. I notice that they've already run into the hallway. I start running towards the door but to my surprise it seals itself. I try to open it but it locked.

"Dammit!" I curse loudly as I shoot the doors control pad.

A deep voice suddenly echos throughout the room. "Sorry Nikki I'm afraid that I cannot allow you to leave."

I look up just in time to see a cloaked figure jump towards me from twenty-five feet in the air. I roll over to my right as the ground shakes violently, setting me off balance. I jump up onto my feet and stare intently at my attacker.

"Pepper?" I question, not recognizing the old canine's face.

"You are so smart Nikki," Pepper responds sarcastically. "That is why you must die before you blow my cover."

It suddenly feels like something is within me. Almost as if of some sort of energy is pulsing through my veins. Pepper simply laughs and unsheathes two swords from his waist.

"Let's see how well you fight." He says as he tosses one of the swords towards me.

I catch it quickly, it's light but long.

"Why did you give this to me?" I respond as I hostler my blaster.

Pepper simply laughs and says. "Killing you unarmed would be no fun at all."

Without saying another word our swords clash with a grinding force. He dashes at me with lightning speed, somehow it feels as though time is slowing down. I block each of his blows swiftly and accurately. I appear to be moving extremely fast as well but I don't notice until I stop swinging my sword. I dash behind a chair however he quickly cuts it in half. I run behind a broken computer monitor and manage to duck as he slashes it horizontally. I stand upright and push the broken monitor towards his feet. It knocks him to the ground for a second. I run up towards him as he grabs a broken chair from the ground and throws it at me. Without any time to react, the splintered chair rams my chest. I scream as the force of the blow sends me into a nearby wall. It seems to cave-in slightly.

Pepper simply laughs as I struggle to stand.

"It looks like your not as strong as we thought you were," Pepper remarks. "You're nothing... how disappointing."

I stare at him with an angrily as I kick the broken chair with all of my might. It pierces through everything in its path at such an incredible speed. It surprises Pepper and hits him directly in the stomach, which sends him flying into the only functioning computer in the room. The force of the impact causes the computer monitor to explode. I get up slowly, clutching my hurt chest. Pepper slowly gets up as well, the impact knocked him onto his back. I draw my blaster with my free hand and I almost pull the trigger when I see a sentry robot kick in the west door.

"Freeze!" it yells monotonously, " Don't mov-"

It doesn't have time to finish speaking as I fire three shots. The robot simply beeps and twitters as It collapses in a burning pile of scrap metal. I look over to Pepper again, he has already gotten back onto his feet in what seems like a split second.

"Impressive Nikki," Pepper growls, obviously pissed. "But you'll need to do better than that."

With those words Pepper dashes out of the room through the broken door. Not wanting to miss my chance at stopping a villain, I decide to go after him. I run out of the room and follow him down the hallway. He enters another room, I cannot see the interior of it from my point of view. I run in and I'm surprised to see that the it is almost identical to the one I was in before. The only difference appears to be a huge glass wall on the other side of the it. Through the glass, I can see various weapons located in another room. It has a solid, metallic table in the middle of it.

'_Must be an armory._' I think in my head.

Pepper quickly comes around from behind one of the computers and slashes downwards. I dodge to the left as I put my blaster away again. He then attacks me with a burning fury in his eyes. Left, down, right, left, up, left, right, up, left, down. I block each blow, he's quickly tiring out. After he swings to the right once again I see a small window of opportunity. I quickly dodge to the left and kick his face with all my might. The force of the impact causes him to fly across the room at a blinding speed. He hits the glass wall hard, but it only cracks slightly.

Pepper snarls angrily. "That's not gonna work Nikki!"

He then proceeds to tear out a computer from the metal wall. However before he throws it something amazing happens. I'm overcome by the urge to jump onto a nearby computer monitor. As I push myself off of the monitor Pepper throws the torn computer at me. I turn around in mid air and kick the computer right back. It flies directly towards him at an incredible rate. Unable to do anything besides curse, it hits him square in the chest. He flies through the glass wall, the noise created is so loud that my ears start ringing again. I clutch my ears tightly until the ringing stops.

I draw my blaster and run towards the room. When I get a clear view I see that Pepper is sitting up against the metal table, almost screaming in pain. The ground is covered with bloody shards of glass. I aim the gun at his head and I'm about to pull the trigger when Pepper says something.

"Damn," He says as his eyes begin to stop glowing. "The enhancements are working_ too_ well."

"Enhancers?" I ease up on the trigger because my mind starts flooding images of memories. I knew now why I had fled Venom in the first place.

"What did your people inject me with?" I bark loudly. "What sort of experiments did you do to me?"

Pepper simply laughs for about ten seconds.

When he finally stops he says. "We did nothing to you. We only discovered what you could do. We... helped you discover your potential."

Angrily I bash my blasters grip against Peppers head, he yells in agony.

"Tell me now! Or I'll make your death very painful!" I yell as I release the safety on my blaster and point it straight at Pepper's head. "What did you give me?"

"You know..." Pepper rambles on, ignoring my questions. "My men didn't blow up that Cornerian ship Nikki. They boarded it and probably killed many people on it but they didn't blow it up. We wanted the weapon but _someone_ prevented us from getting it."

Pepper continues to laugh in irony as he continues. "It's funny.... I never thought that _you_ would be the one to blow it up."

I'm suddenly hit with a huge wave of emotional sadness and anger. I look into Pepper's eyes and I notice that he's not lying. Then again, he may not know the truth either.

"That can't be true," I say as tears start to swell in my eyes. "I could never have done that!"

But a feeling, deep down inside me is telling me that it's true. Even though the thought was incomprehensible I somehow felt that it was a possibility.

With my eyes full of water, I point my blaster at Pepper's head. "I'll see you in hell Pepper."

I'm about to pull the trigger when I hear a door crash open to the right of me.

"Freeze!" I hear someone shout. "Don't you move!"

I look over towards the doorway and I see the white lizard from my memories standing in the doorway.

"Curtis?" I manage to question, confused.

"Nikki?" Curtis responds in a surprised way. "You remember me?"

"What are you-" I manage to say before Pepper interrupts me.

"Glash!" He exclaims. "thank god you've come! Shoot her she's trying to release the virus!"

"No!" I counter. "I'm here to stop it! He's the traitor!"

"She's lying to you Glash. She has always been lying to you..." Pepper stares at me deceitfully.

I look over towards Curtis and I see both confusion and sorrow in his face. It seems he is torn between two sides of a coin.

I begin to cry again as I face him. "I'm so sorry Curtis. Your son... had a strong spirit and a zest for life. I'm sorry that I couldn't save him... I was too late... I couldn't stop the infection."

"What are you waiting for?" Pepper barks. "She is the traitor! Kill her now!"

Curtis looks at Pepper and notices the corruption within his eyes. He lowers his blaster as he speaks.

"No my lord... I will not sshoot her," Curtis says with sad tone. "I finally see it."

"What?!" Pepper growls angrily.

"You're the evil one here aren't you?" Curtis reasons. "You have been ussing K.V to make thesse bioweaponss haven't you? You're the liar. You releassed K.V. into the underground citiess. You did this to me, you killed my sson and all thosse other children!"

Pepper sighs deeply. "It's a pity that K.V only worked on kids... and that your son died. He could have grown into a fine weapon."

With those words, Pepper jumps at me quickly and pushes me onto the hard floor.

"Your both gonna die in here." Pepper cackles as his voice fades.

When I get back up I notice Pepper has already ran out of room. I curse quietly as I look at the various weapons being displayed around the room.

"I sshouldn't have blamed you Nikki." Curtis says as he puts his blaster back on his belt.

"It's fine," I respond as I pick up my weapon.

"No it's not fine," Curtis responds defensively. "For monthss I have been so obssessed with finding you. I wanted to kill you. But the person I should have been trying to stsop was the one that I wass sserving all along."

I open my mouth to say something but a loud alarm suddenly rings throughout the complex. Red lights suddenly flash on and off.

"Warning!" A computerized female voice says over the intercom. "Fifteen minutes until detonation. Employees should follow all guidelines as you evacuate the building."

"Pepper must have sset off the detonation ssequence!" Curtis yells, obviously distraught. "It iss supposed to be ussed as a last ressort in case a viruss breakss out."

"Which way to the nearest hanger?" I say with haste.

"There'ss one to the ssouth. Follow me." He replies quickly.

With those words we run out of the room and towards the hanger. I should be able to meet my team and escape from there...


	14. Escape and Trial

Here it is, chapter thirteen. I hope you guys like it, it introduces a character I had developed long ago, Diego Drane. Anyway enjoy...:)

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**Chapter 13: Escape and Trial**

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**Curtis and I are running down a tight corridor. The red lights along the ceiling are flashing as the loud alarm system blares. I'm getting a massive headache from the irritating noise and lights. My vision is beginning to blur as we run past the countless rooms, which can be seen through numerous see-through windows. We've been running for five minutes now and I'm almost out of breath. I smile lightly as I see an open door about a hundred feet in front of us.

"We're almost there, hold o-" I manage to say before getting knocked off balance by some sort of unexpected force.

"Nikki!" Curtis shouts before I hear a loud shriek coming from my side.

I look over to my left and I see that a huge sharpclaw has torn a hole in the wall. It's even larger than the one I saw in my dreams. It stares at me with its blood red eyes as it begins to tear a rectangular table from the floor.

"Run towards the hanger!" I shout at Curtis as I jump onto my feet. "Quickly!"

"But Nikki-" Curtis manages to say before I interrupt him.

The creature throws the long table as I roll forward. It pins my tail against the wall and I yelp with pain.

"Just go!" I yell as I try not to curse. "I'll catch up!"

I pull my tail out from between the wall and the table just before the huge tyrant kicks it. The force is so immense that it pierces the durasteel wall.

It growls at me with a deep, haunting voice. "Grrr... Intruder! Must... annihilate threat!"

I grin slightly as I reply. "Well, you'll just have to catch me first big guy."

With my remaining stamina, I dash towards Curtis. The creature roars with hatred as it continues to tear apart the wall in an effort to get out of the room.

I notice that Curtis has stopped in front of the door.

"Go out to the hanger!" I cry out to Curtis and he simply nods reluctantly.

I pull out a thermal grenade from my belt as I turn around. The creature is running toward me with all his might. I shoot it thrice in an attempt to hinder its movement, however it doesn't seem to work. I have no choice but to continue running.

"Get the door sealed!" I scream while quickly glancing at Curtis. "Hurry!"

Reluctantly, he begins to type in a five-digit access code into a nearby keypad.

Beep. I'm fifteen feet away, I push the button on the grenade. Beep. I'm twelve feet away as I loosen my grip on the grenade. Beep. Nine feet, I throw the grenade behind me. Beep. I'm six feet away as I hear the grenade bounce on the metal floor. On the last noise I jump as far as I can and slide on my back. I slip through the door just as it closes, within milliseconds. I hear a loud hissing roar and the door almost splits in as the grenade goes off. A quick flash of burning light can quickly be seen in the middle of the sealed door. I breathe a sigh of relief as I prop myself up. I hear several blasters going off below me.

"Thiss iss it," Curtis remarks. "Tell your team to sstop firing their weaponss. I'll tell my men to do the ssame."

As I stand up, I notice that we are in the top floor of a massive hanger. I can see the whole area from up here. There is a metal railing right in front of me. This is obviously a lookout zone. About twenty feet below me I see my team taking cover behind various metal crates. I look to the right and I see about thirty Venom soldiers firing at them. I glance to my left again and I notice Curtis staring at me. He tosses a compact intercom device at me. He has his right hand on top of his left wrist as he activates his communication device. I put the device into my ear and adjust the channel to my team's frequency. I speak into the microphone.

"Wolf, it's me. Stop firing your weapons," I say as loud as I can.

Static comes into my ear as Wolf replies. "_Nikki? It's about time you got here. Bill went looking for you on his own. Why should we cease fire?_"

"Because the captain of Tricell's security force is now on our side. Stop shooting at them." I say concernedly.

As soon as I finish talking, the blaster fire ends. I place my hand on the top of the railing and leap down to the hanger floor. Two seconds later, I hit the ground. I roll as I land to support my weight. Curtis jumps down in a somewhat similar manner. Wolf, Panther and Leon come out from behind their cover as a dingo approaches Curtis. His hair is almost gold in color and his amber eyes seem to shine. He has brown streaks through his hair and a small scar across his cheek. He looks at me and smiles lightly.

"Who is the girl, Curtis?" He speaks with a accent as he continues to stare at me. "Aren't you gonna introduce us?"

"Lieutenant Diego," Curtis responds irritatedly. "Thiss iss no time for your sstupid charmss. We have a seriouss ssituation here. Our leader has betrayed uss."

Diego gets a stunned look on his face. "Curtis, are you serious? That's quite the accusation to make."

"I'm telling the truth!" Curtis scoffs. "And as long as I'm your commander you sshall do what I ssay."

"Yes of course," Diego replies, obviously believing him. "It's the law of our government anyway. I will follow your commands to the letter."

"I'm glad to hear that. We need to leave Venom and talk to the Cornerian ssenate," Curtis continues. "They must know what is going on here, for the ssake of our planet, and itss people."

I turn to face my team and notice Panther is running up to me. Tears of joy seem to be coming out of his eyes. He hugs me tightly.

After about half a second he releases me coughs out.

"Sorry about that," He coughs awkwardly. "I thought that we had lost you for good."

"No," I remark, embarrassed by Panther's public sign of affection. "I'm fine."

Leon simply sighs as he puts his head over his face.

"Anyway," Diego remarks, as he points towards a huge ship in the hanger. "We can take this vessel commander. It's still functioning perfectly."

"Get our men onto the sship, we must leave as soon as we can." Curtis replies, obviously eager to go as soon as possible.

"We have our own ships, we don't need to ride in this ugly piece of tape and metal." Leon emphasizes proudly.

"We'll drop you off," Diego scoffs slightly. "You won't have to stay in my new and comfortable ship for very long."

"The ship is _yours_?" Leon replies as he gets an awkward look on his face. He stops for a moment and then says. "It's a fantastic lookin' beast!"

Wolf slaps Leon across the head. "Grow up, Leon."

"Diego, our ships are to the south of the building." Wolf says after Leon stops complaining.

The last soldier enters the ship as Diego responds. "Okay, let's get going."

As soon as he says those words, I hear a loud whooshing noise. In the next instant, I hear a loud bang, and the sound of countless screams. When I open my eyes again, I gasp in terror. The entire ship has been destroyed, various flames continue to erupt from various sections of it.. As i get up onto my feet, I see a huge sharpclaw jump down in front of me. It's the same one from before. Bits of its shaded skin have been torn off of its body. It's missing a couple of fingers, and an eye. It's holding an empty bazooka in its hands.

"You!!!" It roars loudly, which causes me to fall back onto the ground. "Must... terminate!!"

I look around my vicinity and I notice that everyone is on the floor, moaning and holding their heads. They are all okay, but obviously disoriented. I'll be on my own for a minute or two until they get back to reality.

"Five minutes until detonation!" The computer system beeps louder than before."Please evacuate the complex immediately!"

'_Why am I not writhing on the floor like everyone else?_' I ponder quietly. '_Could it have something to do with my new-found power?_'

As soon I think those words my body is brimming with energy. The same thing happened while I was facing Pepper. I look up angrily at the creature as It throws it's empty bazooka at me. I jump up out of the way, almost six feet into the air. When I land I run towards the burning debris of the ship. I tear a piece of metal off of it, almost as if it was nothing. I hurl it at the beast as it raises up its mutilated hand in an attempt to defend itself. It snarls in pain as the piece of metal pierces its already injured palm. Seeing an open opportunity, I run up towards the monstrosity. I jump onto its shoulders and fire my blaster twice into the back of its skull.

It growls loudly as it collapses to the hard floor. Its tail utters one final gesture as I carefully crawl down its back. I hear another furious explosion come from across the hanger. In the next moment, I see that a huge hole is ripped into the eastern wall. I see three more giant sharpclaws come out, along with about thirty Venom soldiers behind them. All of the soldiers are covered in black armor from head to toe, equipped with blaster rifles.

'_No regular laser is gonna be able to penetrate that armor._' I tell myself.

Left with no other choice, I fire my blaster at one of the beasts. I'm only able to get off a few shots before one hits me so hard that I pummel into a nearby crate.

Before I can get up, the Venom soldiers swarm the room. I look over at my teammates and notice that the guards are handcuffing them and forcing them to stand upright. They walk towards Diego and Curtis and handcuff them as well. About six guards surround me, aiming their rifles directly at me.

"Sstand down, ssergeant!" Curtis says as he struggles. "You're ssupposed to take orderss from me! You don't know what you're doing!"

One of the soldiers, who is wearing red armor instead of black, walks up towards him.

"Actually, I do. I have orders for your execution Glash. You've turned rogue, Lord Draklore has put me in charge, I am now the head of security." The sergeant replies without a hint of remorse.

"That's enough backtalk soldier," A familiar voice says. "We'll take it from here."

I turn to face the deep sound and I feel a stunned look creep around my face.

"Gatorbile!" Panther roars as he struggles to escape the clutches of his handcuffs. "You son of a *****!"

"Now now... calm down or I'll kill you too." Gatorbile remarks as he smiles.

Standing around Gatorbile are three people that I haven't seen before. A tiger, and two Sharpclaws. One sharpclaw is wearing a black robe, which contrasts its blue skin almost perfectly. The other sharpclaw is wearing some sort of heavy armor, and it's skin is yellow. The tiger's fur is a bright orange color with various streaks of black running through her hair. She looks like shes about fifteen years older than me.

"Allow me to introduce my team to you." Gatorbile chuckles, almost coldly. "This blue sharpclaw behind me is Johnathan. He's bit of a psychopath and slightly insane, but his fighting potential is second to none."

He simply nods in agreement before Gatorbile prolongs his introductions. "To my right is Scarbb, he's quite the mechanic and handy with a rifle. Aren't you Scarbb?"

Scarbb doesn't answer, his face seems emotionless on the surface. However I seem to detect a subtle feeling of deep sorrow, only for a split second.

"And finally," Gatorbile says as he concludes. "The lovely Tigeress to my left. She's a skilled assassin. She can kill you in your sleep, really creepy actually."

"If you play with me," Tigeress comments in a sly, but slightly seductive voice. "It'll be the last mistake you'll ever make."

"You know that you won't get away with this..." I say as I feel my energy returning.

"Oh?" Gatorbile questions sarcastically. "I'm sorry.. did I forget to tell you that we have captured Star Fox as well? Shame on me for forgetting."

I look over toward the broken wall again and I notice that the Star Fox team, along with Bill, is being led out into the hanger by several soldiers. Fox, Falco, Krystal and Slippy have their hands bound with looks of immense sadness on their faces. Pepper is behind them, this is the first time I've seen him without his hood over his head.

Pepper walks up to me, stands beside Gatorbile and says. "I'll make you a deal, Nikki. You have vital information in that deluded mind of yours. If you give me that information I'll let your friends live."

I stare at him angrily as he paces in front of me.

"If you think I'm gonna help you, Pepper... you're dead wrong," I reply without sounding intimidated.

Tigeress approaches me hastily and punches me right in the stomach. I stumble over as I taste warm blood in my mouth. I spit it out as I cough. I see that everyone around is watching me and protesting my interrogation.

"If you don't help us... I'll kill you myself," Tigeress laughs deviously.

"That's enough Tigeress!" Gatorbile yells. "Leave this matter in the hands of Lord Draklore."

Pepper continues as he grins. "You see, Nikki, all I need is the name of the chemical that enhances the effects of KV. Your assistant made it, but you killed him and destroyed our new-found data. My researchers have tried for six months to find it, to no avail it seems. What is its name?!"

"Even if I remembered..." I say as I stagger back onto my feet. "I would never tell you bastards anything."

Pepper gets a furious look on his face before attempting to punch me in the face. I duck just in time and his fist slams into the wall. But he punches me with his other hand and I collapse onto the floor once again. As I get up, a memory flashes through my brain.

***

_I'm standing in an elevator, I'm holding Ferry in my hands. He's coughing violently. Curtis is beside me with a very anxious, tearful look in his eyes._

_"I'm... scared..." Ferry mumbles weakly._

_"You'll be jusst fine sson," Curtis speaks worriedly. "Hold on..."_

_The elevator's door opens as we rush out into the hallway. The hospital staff is filled with panic as I bring Ferry through the hospital. One of the nurses walks up to me._

_"We have a room for you and your assistant, doctor. Follow me." The nurse says with urgency._

_"Curtis..." I say as I turn towards him, "I'm going to have to ask you to wait in the waiting room."_

_"Of-of coursse doctor." He can barely say those words without holding back tears. "Pleasse help him."_

_I nod my head with sympathy and make an almost mad dash towards the designated room. After a few twists and turns I arrive in it. It's quite small, consisting of a simple hospital bed, several cabinets a few counters and sinks. On one side of the room there is a glass wall. I place Ferry on the bed and begin to hook up various machines to monitor his vitals._

_"Get me two doses of T.A.K. and one of B.O.T." I say to my assistant. "We need to bring this fever down or he'll die within ten minutes."_

_"Yes, doctor." The male voice replies. "We also ran that K.V. diagnostic test you asked for."_

_I walk over to the computer screen that has Ferry's stats listed. I look at the molecular diagram and study it carefully. I notice something horrific. compound K45,V89 is staring back at me._

_"My god..." I say aloud. "It's returned and it's bigger than ever." I suddenly hear Ferry scream loudly as the number instantaneously rises to K129,V215._

_I look over to my assistant and realize that I don't recognize him at all. I look at the label of the chemical that he has injected. It says: 18-bromo-12-butyl-11-chloro-4,8-diethyl-5-hydroxy-15-methoxytricos-6,13-dien-19-yne-3,9-dione._

_"What the hell are you doing?" I yell angrily as I run up to the vial._

_I knock it out of his hands, the force of impact causes the thin container to catch fire. The assistant screams as he waves his hand in attempt to put out the flames. I kick him and he goes flying straight through the glass wall, causing an alarm to blare. I turn towards Ferry now and I notice that he is crying with pain._

_"Oh my god... Ferry. Don't leave me... stay awake honey." I cry with tears in my eyes._

_I run back towards the cabinets and smash open the antidote section. I take out a couple chemicals in an attempt to find one that can temporarily counter it._

_When I look at Ferry again, I notice that his eyes are closing. I drop the chemicals in a panic, they shatter on the floor as I run up to him._

_Just as he breathes his final breath, he utters. "Don't... let any other kids get sick. Nikki... please... don't... let them fade away..."_

_The vital screen emits a steady beeping noise._

_I tearfully curse and shout. "No!!! Ferry!!!"_

_As soon as reality hits me, I walk over to the computer motherboard._

_"This must not get out." I mumble as I snap the computer in half._

_Before The screen blacks out, I see the compound in front of me. It's quite complex but I recognize it instantly.  
_

_"Ferry..." I break out in tears as I sit in the corner of the room, sobbing. "I'm sorry... I couldn't stop it. This place... the people... someone is causing all of this..."_

_Before the memory fades, I see Venom guards run into the room with their blasters drawn..._

***

I realize that I'm crying, and everyone is still staring at me. Pepper laughs as he realizes the truth.

"So you _do_ remember Ferry's reaction to the chemical... excellent. This will make it easy." Pepper states coldly.

"You son of a *****!" Falco yells as he breaks free from his handcuffs.

He quickly takes the blaster rifle from the guard behind him and fires it with a wave of fury, killing about four of the guards around me. The next thing that happens terrifies me. Pepper draws his blaster and fires it. Falco yells in pain as the laser hits him in the stomach. Time seems to slow down as he drops the gun and falls to the ground.

"No!!!!!! Falco!!!!" I yell with a deep sense of sadness and bitter hatred.

"Aha! I guess Falco isn't as smart as he thought he was." Pepper laughs even more.

He pulls something from his pocket, a needle with some kind of green substance in it. "I have here a regenerative compound that will heal Falco instantly. Without it he'll bleed to death in approximately five minutes. So Nikki... again you have a choice. Tell me the chemical compound that I want and I'll give Falco the one that he needs."

"Alright... I'll tell you." I lie convincingly.

I feel my energy pulsing within me and I notice my chance to strike is now. With all my strength I jump up and I punch each of the guards in the face, which shatters their helmets and causes them to fly at least ten feet into the air. In the quick confusion, I grab Pepper by the neck and I pull the needle from his hand with the other.

He gasps in pain as I whisper into his ear. "This is for Ferry... you will never hurt anyone again."

With all my strength a throw Pepper towards the metal wall behind me, which sends him flying straight through it. I remove my last grenade from my belt and toss it into the broken wall and it explodes a few seconds later. In the continuing confusion, both Star Fox and Star Wolf have removed their handcuffs and are firing at the wicked Venom soldiers.

"We'll be back for you!" Gatorbile shouts as he and his team begin to flee. "You won't escape us next time!"

It takes about another ten seconds for the remaining guards to surrender. They drop their weapons, however Leon still executes them without remorse, one by one. After the blaster fire ceases I rush over to Falco.

"Hey... nice to see ya." he comments weakly.

"This should help you." I say proudly as I inject the needle into his chest.

His stomach wound heals almost instantly as I sigh with relief.

"Thanks heh," He chuckles lightly as he begins to stand. "I guess we're even now."

I smile as I look at Wolf. He's staring at Fox, subtle anguish can be seen in his eyes.

"I don't like you, Fox. I hate you in fact. It pains me to admit it, but we need your help. We need to defeat Scales together." It takes Wolf a long time to say those words.

"Your right. I had no idea that Pepper was in on this too," Fox has a very distressed look on his face. "Thankfully, he has been stopped, and we have our allies on the inside. But we'll still need to protect the Lylat system from Scales' wrath."

"We can take my ship and drop you guys off mate," Diego says with enthusiasm. "That damn sharpclaw blew up Lord Draklore's... err... Pepper's private ship, and left mine entirely intact."

Diego than points to another ship in the hanger, one that is more sleek and shiny.

"Alright..." Wolf says. "You take the remaining soldiers and your captain with you. We'll take our Wolfen's and meet you on Galloria. We can make an attack plan from there, and it should be relatively safe"

Once again Panther comes up to me and hugs me. This time it's less awkward.

"I'm sorry you had to go through all of that," He says to me quietly. "No one should ever have to witness the death of a child."

"It was Curtis' son..." I cry in a whisper. "I couldn't save him. I couldn't stop the spread."

"You're a good person Nikki," Panther comforts me warmly. "I know that you did everything you could."

"Alright," Fox says proudly. "We'll all meet at Galloria. Don't keep us waiting too long."

With those words, the conversation ends and we all board Diego's cruiser. He takes us to our Wolfens before taking off with Curtis and a few loyal Venom soldiers. We all enter our Wolfens take off. As we enter the atmosphere, we see a massive explosion as the Tricell headquarters ignite and head for the planet Galloria, which located far away from the Lylat system...


	15. Scales' Fury

Chapter fourteen has arrived. This is quite possibly the most brutal chapter I've ever written. Comment and enjoy...:)

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**Chapter 14: Scales' Fury**

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After hearing about the destruction of Venom's biological weapons facility, Scales is furious. He makes the poor citizens of Sauria work even longer hours. He begins to intensify the training program of his army and forces his scientists to work around the clock. Blinded by his insane wrath, he publicly murders some of his own high ranked officers in order to strike fear into the others. They've all been executed in the main control room of his ship. However, he wants to carry out his final death sentence in a special location, one that his followers will never forget. He tells his men to prepare the arena that he has constructed on the dying planet. He 'invites' some of his lowliest pirates to view the coming spectacle...

He prepares a small transport shuttle located on _The Devastator's_ hanger and descends onto the planet. He commands his personal pilot to fly toward the ruins of the Earthwalker's Walled City. He has no choice but to obey, no one dares to question Scales' authority. The death and decay that has consumed the once glorious enclave can clearly be seen as Scales approaches the surface. The once sweet smelling grass has been replaced by the stench of filthy mud. The numerous trees and bushes that used to surround the landscape have been burnt. The temples that were once an awe-inspiring display of Saurian architecture have crumbled to the ground. Yes, as the Krazoa's power continues to weaken, the state of the whole planet has been rapidly declining. The pyramid in the middle of the city is all that remains of the once thriving Walled City, now referred to by Scales as "Scarred City."

When his ship lands on the outskirts of the devastation, Scales jumps off of its ramp as he snarls. The look in his eyes is one of bitter hatred, distrust and anguish. He's beginning to have a fear of failure in his heart, one that overpowered him in his last battle with Star Fox.

'_Not this time,_' He keeps telling himself. '_This time I will triumph! The Krazoa are wrong, They're trying to make me falter! Not this time. This time.. I will kill Fox and Nikki! I will taste their blood and complete my revenge against those damn Krazoa!_'

However, despite his thoughts of success, something deep inside is still haunting him. Whispering words of fear and uneasiness like ants under his skin. He is forcing himself to ignore these feelings of inadequacy and he's doing it perfectly, at least on the outside. Everyone around him continues to be mortified by his demeanor and hateful aura. He hasn't changed his clothes since he started these recent executions. Dried drops of blood from his recent victims can be seen on his face, black armor and his dual-hook. The stench of fresh blood is still prevalent in the air around him.

One of his commanders follows him out of the vessel. "My lord, we have Lieutenant Grambull in the arena inside the pyramid. He's awaiting... your arrival."

"Good," Scales growls bitterly. "Stay on the ship Commander Bellock, I'll be back shortly."

Bellock wipes the sweat off of his forehead as he responds. "Yes my king. We... _I'll _make sure that no one slacks off."

Scales crosses a dried up riverbed and makes his way into the ancient temple. He goes through a few long and narrow hallways that are lit only by torches. After a few more corridors, the majestic stone tiles and walls of the pyramid vanish. He enters a new set of hallways that were recently crafted, ones with dirt floors and crude wooden walls. He walks a couple hundred feet through the cramped hallway and he sees the newly built arena in front of him. It's quite small compared to his other arenas on the planet, spanning a diameter of approximately fifty feet. Along the borderline of the arena there is a pit that goes down about forty yards. a river of lava is flowing through the bottom of it. Beyond the crevice, there's a huge stone wall that goes up twenty feet. Above it are various rows of seats that the "audience" is in. There are also two iron gates at each end of the battlefield.

Scales smiles lightly when he sees the state that Lieutenant Grambull is in. He's standing up while his feet and hands are chained to the ground. His whole body is covered in bruises, scabs and lacerations. He is quite buff for a sharpclaw and his skin is a pale shade of gray. His face grows white with fear as Scales lowers the iron gate and enters the arena. There are about five-hundred pirates gazing upon him, all of them are cheering and yelling as Scales raises his hands triumphantly.

Scales roars in anger as everyone stops whooping. "Shut up! All of you!"

The whole room goes silent as the pirates begin to wonder what Scales is going to say. "This is no time for your stupid celebrations! We are about to go to war. As you all know Venom has failed in their duty. We need to rely on our own strength now."

One of the spectating pirates coughs quite loudly. Scales turns his head and growls in the direction of the noise.

"Who did that?!" Scales roars hatefully. "I demand to know! I am talking about a very serious matter and I don't need any interruptions!"

All of the pirates in a corner of the arena point to a green feathered bird who is sitting in the front row.

He freezes in terror as he mumbles. "I'm... sorry General."

Scales, pissed off at his attempted apology, yells at the criminals around the bird. "Throw him down here! Now!"

The pirates sitting around the bird obey him out of fear as they grab him by the shoulders. He screams as he tires to fight them off but they push him off of his seat. He lands face first with a sickening thump. Blood drips from his beak and nostrils as he tries to stand up, however Scales is already standing over him. He roars as he drives his foot down on one of the bird's limbs. The disturbing sound of a splintered bone echos throughout the arena as the bird squawks with anguish. He screams in pain as Scales pulls him up by the feathers on the top of his head.

"Do you see everyone!?" Scales bellows even louder than before. "This is what will happen to all of _you_ if you do not obey me! All i asked was for silence for five minutes and this pathetic avian creature couldn't even do that."

With his unbroken wing, the bird quickly grabs his blaster from his belt. Sadly it is already too late for him to strike back. With a quick thrust, Scales drives his dual-hook into his victim's chest. He cries one final cry of anguish as Scales rips out his heart. Blood splatters everywhere as he drops the dead bird into the magma-filled chasm below. He throws the heart onto the ground then crushes it with his foot as he curses. The whole assembly of people is stunned at what they've just witnessed. They have never seen Scales do something so brutal and inhumane.

Fresh blood drops fall from Scales' dual-hook as he carries on. "Now... let's get on with the matters that we are discussing. After this ceremony... we're invading Corneria with everything that we've got. We have sixty-thousand pirates and forty-thousand sharpclaws ready for battle. You all have your fighter ships waiting for you at the docking bays throughout the planet. But before we can do anything... there's a weakling amongst us. One that must be dealt with. He has failed me countless times and I will not tolerate it any longer."

"This is outrageous!" Lieutenant Grambull yells objectively. "I have been nothing but loyal to you Scales. And you've treated me like scum!"

"Silence!" scales roars as the anger in his face deepens.

The sharpclaw doesn't even seem intimidated, perhaps because he knows that his end is near. "Why? Why should I be silent? You're gonna kill me anyway."

The pirates begin to whisper to themselves. Scales realizes that some of them may have more faith in the Lieutenant's words than his.

'_I must alter my plan slightly if I'm to gain more favor with these scumbags..._' Scales thinks to himself.

He looks around the arena and asks. "Very well. Does anyone have a sword? Anyone at all?"

"I do..." A sharpclaw says meekly.

"Give it here." Scales responds as he motions towards him with his hands.

He unbuckles his sword and tosses it towards Scales. He catches it skillfully and unsheathes it.

"Lieutenant," Scales grumbles as he turns to face Grambull again. "I'll give you a chance to prove me wrong. Right here, in this arena."

Scales walks up towards him and swings the sword at his chains with a ferocious battle-cry. Scales' immense strength causes chain-rings to shatter in every direction. He then hands the blade to Grambull and backs away slowly.

"Fight me!" Scales roars as he makes a fist with his hand. "If your not a weakling like I say you are, you should have no trouble killing me. I am unarmed."

Grambull stares at the sword intently and he realizes what Scales is trying to do. "I will not kill you my lord. You're trying to persuade these pirates aren't you? Well it's not going to work. You will oppress Sauria no longer! I've seen the truth, I know what you are doing to our planet!"

Scales' feelings of concern continue to grow rapidly. '_Damn you Grambull. You're smart enough to threaten me. Very well...you shall be killed for your ignorance._'

With a quick dash towards Grambull, he swings his dual-hook. Grambull rolls to the side and swings his sword at Scales' leg. Blood seeps out of it as Scales' snarls slightly. Now he's very angry. Scales runs up to him even faster and punches him square in the stomach. He staggers backward as he drops the sword. Seeing his chance Scales punches him in the face several times, weakening him severely with each blow. With him defenseless Scales sees one last opportunity. He turns Grambull around and sinks his dual-hook into the back of his neck. He screams as Scales digs deeper. After a few more seconds Scales tears out his spine, Grambull's head is still attached to the top of it. His lifeless body collapses to the ground as Scales holds up his prized possession. Blood pours out of wound as Scales drops the severed head to the ground.

"Hmm... so he was weak," Scales laughs proudly. "Well I think this proves who your true leader is."

The heads of all the pirates nod in agreement. They're too scared to do anything else.

"Good," Scales almost chuckles again as he cleans his dual-hook. "We leave in three days. Prepare your fighters and yourselves."

With his 'ceremony' ended, Scales leaves the death-filled area and heads back towards _The Devastator_. He has one final person to punish, one that has failed him greatly.

***

Gatorbile, Tigeress, Scarbb and Johnathan are all in a private sector of _The Devastator_, awaiting the arrival of General Scales. They're in a medium sized rectangular room. A glass window is along one wall, allowing them to peer down on the planet below. The only furnishings in the room are a few woolen chairs. Gatorbile is pacing around the room, obviously nervous. Tigeress is sitting down, sighing a little. Scarbb and Johnathan however are remaining perfectly calm, at least on the surface.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Gatorbile grumbles hesitantly.

"Aww... you're worried aren't you? I feel sorry for you," Tigeress replies sarcastically.

"Shut up Tigeress, you wouldn't even have your current level of authority if it wasn't for me," Gatorbile snaps back.

"Your the one to talk... You wouldn't have a good navigator if I wasn't here," Tigeress responds as she laughs.

"Let's see if you're laughing when he comes in here to kill us..." Gatorbile lashes bitterly.

After a few more minutes of silent anxiety, Scales finally enters the room. He has an twisted, pissed off look on his face.

"Ah, my lord good to see yo-" Gatorbile manages to say before getting slammed in the face by Scales' cold fist.

The blow knocks him to the metallic floor. Scales kicks him in the stomach several times despite his protests and loud grunting.

When he's finally done Scales yells furiously. "You have failed me _again _Gatorbile, _again_. After I told you how much I hate failure..."

"Please," Gatorbile coughs. "It... wasn't my fault."

Scales kicks Gatorbile's spine as he growls again. "You _fled_, like a coward! You could have at least _tried_ to kill some of Nikki's comrades."

"Nikki," Gatorbile spits up blood as he replies. "Wasn't normal. She... has some sort of... special power."

"Inferior skills of yourself and those that surround you is no excuse for cowardice," Scales says as he calms down a little bit. "Normally I'd kill someone like you. But I'm in need of your infiltration and leadership skills. However... I must make sure that you will no longer screw up."

Scales smiles lightly as he crushes Gatorbile's fingers on his right hand with his foot, one by one. Screams of terror and excruciating pain can be heard throughout most of the private sector of the ship. When Scales is done, Gatorbile is writhing on the ground, clutching his broken hand.

Scales kneels down and whispers into Gatorbile's ear. "Gatorbile... don't you ever... fail me again."

with sweat pouring off of his forehead, he simply croaks. "Yes sir..."

Scales points at his other sergeants standing in the room. "You three, come with me to the planet's surface. We'll be leading the assault on Corneria in seventy hours."

Scales leaves the room and shuts the door. Johnathan quickly follows as Tigeress walks up to Gatorbile.

"You're a wuss... you got what you deserved," Tigeress laughs cunningly. "Once I help Scales takeover Corneria, I'll replace _you_ as his 'right hand.' "

"Go to hell, you *****." Gatorbile says as he tries to stand.

"You first..." Tigeress scoffs as she makes her exit.

Scarbb stares at Gatorbile for about a minute before saying a couple of words.

"I'm sorry," He says as he turns to leave the room.

Scarbb runs through the corridors of the ship and catches up to Scales. He groans as he turns to face him.

"Did you need something?" Scales growls bitterly.

Scarbb hesitates slightly before speaking. "My lord.. Is my family still okay?"

"Yes," Scales lies while chuckling slightly. "They'll be just fine as long as you do _exactly_ what I say."

"I plan to General, thanks for telling me." Scarbb says, slightly relieved.

Scales once again descends onto Sauria, to finish his preparations for the upcoming war...

***

_I feel at peace, a nice cool breeze is sweeping across my body. The tension that used to be in my body is no longer there. I seem to be high in the air, I'm standing on some sort of puffy cloud. The air is thick and moist, I see nothing but vibrant blue skies all around me. I've never felt so refreshed and at ease._

_'I appear to be dreaming,' I think to myself._

_My voice sounds like it's echoing through in my head._

_"You are dreaming Nikki," A masculine voice says. "This is your innermost thoughts manifesting themselves in your subconscious mind."_

_The voice seems to be coming at me from all sides. I turn around and I notice that a large cloud mass is beginning to take shape in front of me. After a few seconds they convert to a mist-like substance and I see my uncle standing amongst it. I feel a smile spread across my face._

_"Uncle? Is that really you?" I say aloud._

_"No Nikki. I am merely a reflection of your memories." The creature responds. "Your uncle died long ago. He has returned to the dust of Fortuna, resting eternally. I am here today to aid you in your quest."_

_"Can you answer my questions?" I reply to the 'cloud', who by now looks and sounds exactly like my uncle._

_"A few yes, but I am mostly here for my wisdom." My 'uncle' replies._

_"Why did you die? Why'd Ferry have to die? Why in the hell is all of this happening?" I ask coldly._

_"Easy with your questions." My uncle laughs lightly. "Time and unforeseen occurrences happen to everyone. Including those closest to us. Some people just find themselves in the wrong places. They didn't have to die... but they did."_

_I start to cry lightly as I know that the words he is saying are true._

_"How can I go on like this? I'm holding onto my sanity by a thread." I question as I wipe away tears._

_"You already know what you must do Nikki." He says with great enthusiasm. "You've been chosen."_

_"Chosen?" I question, confused._

_"Yes..." He responds. "You have been chosen to defeat the darkness that threatens the Lylat system. From the time you were born that has been your path."_

_Now I'm even more confused. "What do you mean? Where was I born? Who were my parents? Did they choose me? Why did Star Wolf rescue me from Venom?"_

_"You'll remember in time Nikki. You must trust your friends. You must trust in... yourself. That will be the key to your victory." His voice seems to fade out as he slowly disappears._

_"Uncle wait! don't leave me here!" I yell as I start to cry again._

_"Remember Nikki. Remember where you came from. Remember, your brother..." He says in a soft voice as he fades away completely._

_I cover my face with my hands as I start to cry again._

***

I wake up in my Wolfen's cockpit, my face wet from recent teardrops. Off in the distance I see a huge planet. It seems as though the whole planet a desert.

"_There it is,_" Wolf speaks through the intercom. "_Galloria, the planet of filth._"

"_Seems quiet,_" Panther says coolly.

"_It always does,_" Leon replies sarcastically.

Without saying another word, we embark onto the planet's surface.


	16. Battle on Galloria

Here it is, chapter fifteen. The true identity of Venom's emperor is finally revealed. Please comment and review and above all, enjoy.

This chapter is quite graphic in certain areas.

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**Chapter 15: Battle on Galloria**

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* * *

**Galloria is a desert planet abundant in natural resources. It's full of exotic desert life and has many wonderful vacation spots. That is, if you're into intense heat twenty-nine hours a day, seven days a week. The planet is part of the Strattus system, a star system that used to be a thriving colony close to the Lylat system. Sadly however, its history is a dark and graphic one. Many of the planets fell to an ancient tyrannical leader, who plundered, harvested and left them in ruins. Krystal's home planet, Cerinia, was one such planet.

Today, one of the only habitable planets in the Strattus system is Galloria. It's crawling with every bit of criminal scum that don't feel safe anywhere else. The galactic laws of the Lylat System don't effect it, so it's constantly overrun with chaos. There are also many death traps in Galloria's vast desert wastelands. If the encamped bounty hunters don't kill you, the severe climate will. If you remain hidden long enough, the wildlife will find eventually find you and hunt you down. Even the luckiest people who may survive for days or weeks are never seen again.

The only way for a rookie to survive on Galloria is to stay in one of the few remote spaceports scattered across the planet. But even then, Galloria is ten times more dangerous than all the planets of the Lylat system combined. Even though it's a very dangerous meeting place, it's also the place where you'd be the hardest to find. Simply because Lylat citizens rarely travel to the Strattus system. Unless they're mercenaries or bounty hunters that have been hired to track down a specific person or enity. Whatever the case, Galloria is a perilous planet, only the strong survive here.

***

"_We'll make our decent now,_" Wolf's voice crackles through the intercom. "_Be on your guard everyone. We will not be welcomed here._"

I sigh lightly as we enter Galloria's polluted atmosphere. "Where is your contact located?"

"_In the north-western sector of the spaceport. He owns a couple bars and storehouses in the area,_" Wolf replies casually.

"_How do you know that we can trust him?_" Panther questions worriedly.

"_He's one of the few people in the galaxy who knew my father,_" Wolf speaks with a hint of sorrow. "_He knew Nikki's uncle pretty well too._"

Surprised, I blurt out. "How'd he know my uncle?"

"_It's a long story Nikki. One that's too hard to explain right now,_" Wolf comments, eager to change the subject.

The four of us land our wolfens in a small hanger. All of the nearby structures are made from some sort of tanned stone, probably a materiel native to Galloria. As my cockpit hatch opens a burning stench seeps up my nostrils. It smells like a mixture of tar and swamp grass. As I jump out of my wolfen I notice that a fox soldier is approaching Wolf. My hand grips around my blaster nervously.

"What business does your group of mercenaries have on this planet?" The officer speaks to Wolf abruptly. "Speak quickly."

"We're here on our own business," Wolf replies calmly. "I can assure you that we mean to harm to anyone on Galloria."

The guard growls bitterly as he spits on the ground. "We'll be watching you tourists closely, don't do anything stupid. We have many... clients who don't wish to be disturbed."

I ease my grip on my weapon as we walk out of the docking bay. There is no door, the hanger is simply three stone walls fused together. As I walk out into the streets of the spaceport I'm shocked at how sparsely populated they are. There are only a few people walking down the same path as us. On one side of the street there is a wide ditch that goes down about three feet and I finally know where the horrible smell is coming from. The stench of decay becomes more apparent as I make a quick glance into it.

"Stay away from the pits," Leon whispers coldly. "They're full of the dead. Showing off your curiosity will only make you look suspicious to these people."

I mutter to myself as I walk towards them again. As we're walking through the small city I'm surprised to see that some vendors have set up stalls on the street corners. Each of them has a blaster holstered in their belt, along with at least two sentry robots near them, each holding a blaster rifle.

"Security is extremely tight around here," Panther mentions cautiously. "Raids take place almost daily. These local merchants are quite brave, most of 'em don't last a week. "

After Panther's last comment I stay as close as I can to him, almost invading his personal space. My senses are on high alert as I prepare to react to any crisis that we may come into our path. After about fifteen minutes we come across a small hut. It's only one floor. The roof is metallic and the walls are made of the same stone as everything else. I think I'll call it sandstone. We enter the building through the front passageway. I smell the faint scent of tobacco and booze and I realize that we're in a bar. Various patrons around us are laughing and socializing around various booths and tables, all carved from some kind of white stone. Wolf walks up to the bartender and shakes his hand. He's a short but muscular pig. I'm surprised that he isn't chubby in any way.

As I walk up to them I begin to overhear their conversation.

"Wolf! Good to see you. I have not seen ya for ages." The bartender exclaims. "Fox called me up and told me about the situation you boys are facin'. "

"That's good Frank.. really good." Wolf replies, a little on edge.

"I uh... didn't know that you two we're uh... workin' together." Frank says as he detects the edginess of Wolf's voice.

Wolf loosens his hand and responds. "It's temporary. We need a safe place to meet. I was told that you could provide it."

"Of course... you guys can use ma basement. I've uh, cleared most of it up for ya." Frank replies as he notices me.

"Hello..." I introduce myself as I shake his hand. "I'm Nikki Grant."

"Grant? Oh.. of course yee look a lot like your uncle." Frank responds sympathetically. "He was a good man."

"Thanks.. how did you know him again?" I ask awkwardly.

"I knew him during the Lylat Wars," Frank rubs his head as he tries to remember. "Ehh.. the details are lost on me, haven't seen 'im in years. Sorry honey."

Out of the corner of my eye I notice someone drawing a blaster. Quickly I turn around and aim my blaster in front of me. I'm about to pull the trigger when I hear a single shot ring through my ears. The cloaked thug groans as he falls to the floor. I look over at Panther and he's beginning to holster his smoking weapon. I walk up to the body and give it a quick search. In the assassin's pocket I find a crumpled up picture of me, quite an old one. Besides the picture I find a few thousand space credits, which I quickly stash away in my pocket.

"What the hell?" I manage to say, confused as to the identity of my attacker.

"We need to get into your basement right away Frank, it's not safe here for us." I hear Wolf say as I stand.

"Yes, of course, follow me." Frank replies without hesitation. "I'll have my guards dispose of the body."

I turn around again and notice that Leon and Wolf are beginning to follow Frank, while Panther is walking towards me.

"You okay?" panther says as he puts his hand on my shoulder.

"I'm fine... I'm just confused. Who could want to kill me besides Scales?" I ponder.

"I don't know. There are many criminals lords here. You could have crossed paths with any of them," Panther responds worriedly.

"That's probably the case," I reason. "Thanks for taking care of him. My guard was down, I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry Nikki," Panther assures me. "I told you that I would be here for you. That includes protection."

"Well," I reply awkwardly. "Thanks."

"No problem," Panther smiles. "Let's just get you to safety."

Panther turns around as we follow Wolf and Leon. We pass through a wooden door and descend some stone stairs. The hallways down here are made of a light gray-colored material. I'm surprised because it looks really old, ancient even. After a few twists through the halls we arrive in a room with a large rectangular table, with various modern light fixtures embedded in the walls.

"Ya'll should be safe down here. No one 'cept the staff is permitted in my basement and I trust 'em all with my life." Frank says confidently.

"What is this place?" I ask curiously as I admire the ancient artwork on the walls.

"Well.. back before da Strattus System was torn apart," Frank speaks as if he's teaching a history lesson. "Galloria was a lush and green planet. The people didn't have very 'vanced technology but they still prospered. They forged weapons outta metal and built structures outta limestone. They didn't have any blasters or starships or nothin' of that kind. Anyway, this place used to be a royal castle. They called the basements of these castles 'dungeons,' where they kept prisoners and criminals. 'nyway, that was over two thousand years ago, my grandfather found the ruins of this castle and built a bar 'round it. I've been running this place for twenty years now..."

Realizing he's babbling, he doesn't say anymore and an awkward silence fills the room.

"Well..." He sighs as he concludes. "Now I keep all my inventory down here. This room we're in is sorta like a cafeteria."

Wolf, obviously annoyed, tries hard to be polite. "Yes, thank you Frank. Can you please go back upstairs and wait for our allies? Remember that we're waiting for Star Fox and a few members of the Venomian army."

"Yes.. of course Wolf. I didn't mean to pester," Frank replies, slightly embarrassed. "Just remember to keep your claws off of the merchandise. Some of the booze down here is worth more than yer ships..."

With that, Frank makes his leave and we begin to wait around the table. It takes a couple of hours, but they all arrive safe and sound. I am glad to see that Curtis and Diego are doing just fine. When Fox's team arrives, it's obvious that the tension between them and Wolf is high. I hope in my heart that they can eventually resolve their differences... but I don't know if that's ever going to happen.

"Alright," Fox speaks confidently. "Let's get this meeting started."

"First of all," Diego begins. "I'd just like to say that the Venom generals and senators have agreed to back us up. They had no idea of the treachery of our leader. We have thirty-thousand troops ready to aid Corneria."

"Good," Wolf smiles. "We can use them if the need arises. I've been thinking that we should split up."

"Why?" Falco responds, obviously not trusting Wolf. "That's the stupidest idea that I've ever heard in my life."

The quiet murmurs of everyone quickly turns to insults and lashing, and I sigh with disbelief.

"Everyone! Stop fighting!" I yell at the top of my voice as I slam my hands down on the table, denting it slightly

Everyone turns their heads to face me as I continue. "We came here today... to focus on our common enemy, not to bicker amongst ourselves. We have a threat more severe than anything we've faced. One that threatens to bring the Lylat system under a torrent of darkness. Is that what really what we all want? Look at the Strattus system. Everything that was once good about it is gone. Galloria used to be lush and beautiful now look at it! It's a piece of garbage, ridden with despair."

Everyone gets a serious but sad look on their faces as I carry on. "Is that really what you guys want for [i]our[/i] homes? Do you want the oceans of Corneria to be filled with oil, pollution and death? Do you want Venom to be a uninhabitable wasteland like Galloria? What about Fichina.. do you want it to be a lifeless and frigid desert?"

I pause for a moment as I get a tear in my eye. "What about _my_ planet? Fortuna's forests will burn, the very air will be pitch black with dust and smoke. I will _never_ let that happen. Now... if we cannot agree... then what the hell are we all doing here?"

Everyone sighs lightly and rub their heads as they quietly whisper amongst themselves again.

"She's right," Krystal manages to say as she cries softly. "I do not want any other planet to suffer the same fate as mine."

With the group back in order, we continue our discussion, unaware of the incoming danger...

***

A cloaked figure begins to make his decent on Galloria. He's very pissed off, which has caused his anger to turn into recklessness. He's making a rash decision, one that may cost the lives of everyone on the planet.

He lands in a different hanger of the same spaceport that Star Wolf landed in. He exits his small red and black ship as four soldiers approach him with their weapons drawn.

"Halt!" One of the soldiers yells. "This is a private port! Leave immediately or face the death penalty!"

The cloaked figure growls as he draws a long sword from his belt. He runs up to the first soldier with a vertical slash, bisecting him. The other three call for help, but it is too late. With a few swift strokes, two more are decapitated. The last remaining soldier fires wildly as the assailant dashes forward. Grabbing the soldier by the neck, he lifts him into the air and slams him into the ground. The stunned soldier attempts stand up before the assassin picks up a blaster. He takes off his hood and his face is clearly seen.

"Pepper?" The army man says, confused. "What the hel-"

He doesn't even finish his sentence before Pepper puts a hole in his head.

Startled by the noise, various bystanders run up towards Pepper in an attempt to stop him.

"How futile," Pepper smirks. "This should be interesting."

Pepper runs up to the angry mob. He elbows one of them in the head, while kicking another one in the stomach. Three more run up to him from behind, so he jumps as he twists his body in a circling motion and shoots two of them directly in the chest. The third one draws his blaster and fires multiple shots towards Pepper's head. Pepper jumps high into the air again and lands directly on the criminal, tearing his body in half. Pepper draws his sword again and cuts through several rioters. Countless screams of terror can be heard, along with the sick sound of flesh being sliced open.

Marveled by his inhuman display of strength and agility, many of the bystanders flee, except for three. These mysterious warriors are cloaked in gray robes from head to toe. Only their eyes can be seen, their eyes are glowing with a sickly orange hue. One of them is a dingo, while the other two are some type of rodent. They pull out some sort of short iron bar from their belts. They push a button on it, which causes the mysterious hilt to emit a blade of red light. It creates a buzzing sound as it's swung through the air.

"Turn back now stranger, before your swiftly cut down." One of the warriors, who appears to be their master, says confidently.

Pepper simply growls irritatedly. "Your feeble attempts are no match for me. It is _you_ who should turn back."

Pepper dashes up to the warrior on the left and slams his fist into his chest, causing him to go flying into a building twenty feet away. The other two warriors swing their laser swords towards him, in a way that would seem unbelievably fast to most people. He dodges to the left, then jumps toward the fallen warrior. He lifts him up and snaps his neck with a quick movement. As the body falls to the ground, He grabs the laser sword from the warrior's hand and ignites it.

"Hmm.. interesting craftsmanship. I shall research this technology after I kill you," Pepper smiles evilly.

He dashes towards them, cutting and swinging furiously. However they seem to anticipate all of his moves which causes him to be frustrated. Then he comes up with a plan. Using all of his strength he pushes his blade towards the weaker warrior. The young one begins to falter. Worried, the stronger warrior begins to swing his laser sword in a vertical motion.

'_Fool..._' Pepper thinks to himself.

With a quick thrust, Pepper drives his blade deep into the master. He cries out with agonizing pain as Pepper pulls out the blade. Pepper brings him to his knees as he executes a thrust kick to the warrior's neck, shattering it. The younger warrior yells in desperation and angrily attacks Pepper. He executes a quick horizontal strike, which cuts the surface of Pepper's arm. He yelps with pain as he aims his laser sword at the warriors hands. The smell of charred flesh fills the air as the warrior staggers back from the pain, clutching his severed wrist. Pepper laughs lightly as he grabs the warrior by the neck and lifts him into the air.

"I'd kill you for what you just did..." Pepper says as he tries hard to hide his pain. "...but I need some information. Where is Frank Cassidy's bar?"

The apprentice, gasping for breath, says lightly. "Northern... ridge... named... Red... Rouge... Inn..."

Pepper lets go of the warriors neck as he smiles.

"Thanks, your free to go. Tell your friends about me," He grins wickedly.

After a few more seconds, he dashes off at an incredible speed, cutting down everyone in his path.

"You'll pay for this..." He mumbles lightly. "I swear it..."

***

Meanwhile, back in Frank's basement, Star Fox and Star Wolf have finally agreed to a decision.

"Alright, I guess that sounds pretty reasonable," Falco agrees.

"Good," Wolf replies. "So we're all in agreement then? My team will head to Sauria and liberate it. We'll take Curtis with us. Star Fox will head to Corneria along with Bill and Venom's forces. You'll be defending it at all costs. As soon as we destroy Scales' army at Sauria, we'll come to aid you on Corneria."

"Yes Wolf," Fox responds wholeheartedly. "That sounds like a good plan. The only thing I'm worried about is that you won't have any backup if your mission on Sauria goes south."

"No need to worry 'bout that Fox," Leon says as he points to his blaster. "My backup is right here."

I smile. I don't know why but I feel as though the rivalry between Wolf and Fox is beginning to thin. I'm lost in my thoughts when suddenly, I hear rapid laser fire and loud screams coming form upstairs.

"Something is wrong!" Krystal yells. "Someone is here!"

Without saying another word I draw my blaster and run back towards the basement stairs.

"Nikki stop!" I hear Wolf yell.

But I don't stop, I keep running. As I approach the stairs a hear a loud cracking noise, along with a scream. The basement door slams open and splinters of it graze past my fur as a body rolls down the stairs. I roll to the left and avoid the tumbling corpse in a nick of time. I gasp as I notice that it's one of Frank's personal bodyguards, shot in the head. I run up the stairs, ready for anything. When I reach the top of the stairs I notice a familiar face. Pepper is holding Frank by the neck, chocking him.

"Nooo!" I yell as I fire twice at Pepper's head.

Stunned, Pepper turns towards the lasers. Unable to avoid them he simply let's go of Frank's neck. The laser's hit him right in the face and Pepper howls with agony. Angrily, I run up towards him and ram my fist into his chest. Causing him to crash through the bar's sandstone wall. My body seems to be full of the same energy that I had back on Venom. Everyone has exited the basement and drawn their blasters as well. Wolf runs up towards Frank and checks for a pulse.

"He's alive, thank god." Wolf sighs, relieved.

I dash outside with my blaster aimed directly at Pepper's head. He simply laughs, as if the whole thing is a joke. His voice seems distorted. It's not deep, not even human, almost robotic but not quite.

"You have no idea who your messing with..." He says as he continues to laugh with a buzzing voice. "This planet will be under _my_ command."

"Who are you? What the hell are you?" I ask, finally realizing that this 'thing' is not human.

The question simply prompts the creature to laugh more. "You really don't know _anything_! How amusing."

"I recognize that voice," Fox says, shocked. "Oh my god.. Pepper I'm so sorry."

"Dammit," Panther says regretfully. "I thought we were done with _them_."

"Aha! Your friends seem to get it!" The creature cackles more and more, the voice is getting higher and more robotic-like.

I'm surprised that everyone seems to know what this thing is but be. Almost as if reading my mind, the creature continues to speak.

"My mother must've never met you Nikki. It's a damn shame, _you_ should have been my host. It'd have been a better body than this pathetic old man..."

"Enough!" Falco snaps as he fires his blaster twice into the creatures chest. "Filthy aparoid!"

"Aparoid?" I question as the creature sequels and writhes on the floor.

"They're a parasitic, robotic life-form," Wolf sighs deeply. "They invaded the Lylat System a year ago. We destroyed their homeworld and their leader. Pepper was captured and we freed him. At least we thought we did. You probably didn't even know about the invasion because you were on Venom at the time."

"Very good Wolf!" The aparoid beeps. "You've done your homework. What you don't know is that my mother injected my egg inside Pepper as a backup plan. She was smart to do that. All of you are responsible for her death and all of you shall feel my wrath! You will all pay dearly for what you did to her! I will rebuild my people! Right here on Galloria!"

The parasite stands up again as he continues to laugh. Pepper's body starts to rupture as the monsters true form begins to become apparent.

"What you don't know is...gahh," Te aparoid says as metallic arms begin to erupt out of his back. "...K.V. was actually a aparoid invention. My mother sent it to Venom a few years before her army invaded your pathetic star system. It's an ancient virus that stimulates the growth of muscle and nerve cells... causing the host to get stronger and... smarter."

Pepper's arms burst in a cloud of red blood as sharp, metallic knives penetrate the area around them. Pepper's chest also explodes and is replaced with a metallic eye and mouth.

"Unfortunately... heh... it didn't work on children," He says as he stares at Curtis cunningly. "Pity..."

Angrily, Curtis starts to fire his blaster at the aparoid, but the laser's are simply absorbed into the aparoid's body.

"Fools! You will all die at my hand!" The robotic creature seems to smirk.

After a few more seconds the size of the aparoid expands tenfold. The last of Pepper's body is stripped away and what's left over is unsettling. A colossal aparoid, probably forty feet high is standing over them. six, thick metallic legs now surround most of my team.

"Shoot it!" I yell aloud. "But be careful of those legs!"

Focusing all of it's attention on me, it fires balls of electricity. I dash back into the ruined bar as I hear the sound of blaster fire. I turn around and notice that Curtis is attempting to climb one of the aparoid's legs. I notice something odd and metallic around the shriveled remains of Pepper's body, it's shining in the sun. With my curiosity aroused I dash as quickly as I can toward it. However I am knocked off of my feet by the force of one of the aparoid's immense legs. I slam into and crush a nearby wall, however I don't feel hurt.

"This is pointless." Slippy grunts. "Our blasters aren't going to be able to penetrate that armor. My computer systems can't find a weakness."

"Keep looking!" Fox yells as he continues to dodge the electricity.

I get up off my feet just as one of the legs crashes down inches from my head. Seeing another chance I run towards the object again. This time I grab it as I dodge a leg with a skillful roll. It's a small and circular hilt with a blue button in the middle of it. I press it and I'm surprised to see a beam that seems to be made of light.

'_This may cut through it._' I mumble in my head.

The next thing I hear is a loud scream, which seems to permeate the area. I look over with horror and I notice that Curtis Is laying on the ground, blood is pouring out of his punctured chest.

"Curtis!" I scream loudly.

"Foolllssss..." The creature buzzes. "You will never stop me!"

Infused with anger I slash my laser sword at one the creatures limbs, which cuts it clean off. It beeps in pain as it's robotic eye stares directly at me. Seeing my chance I hold the hilt like a spear and hurl it at the gigantic eye. The laser blade pierces its eye as it roars with agony. It shakes its head violently as a series of explosions rip and tear at it's metallic skull. After about five seconds the colossal beast plummets to the ground, aglow with flames and dysfunctional. The limbs begin to crash to the ground. Slippy screams as one of the legs falls towards him.

"Slippy!" I yell as I run. "Move out of the way!"

I push him out of the way as the leg lands mere millimeters from my tail.

"Sheesh," I groan as I try to stand. "Be more careful next time."

"Sorry," He mumbles. "I'm not as quick as I used to be."

I turn my attention to Curtis without responding to Slippy. He's barely able to move as the pool of blood around him continues to grow. I run up towards him, kneel down and support his head in my arms. I notice that blood is beginning to drip from his mouth.

"Curtis.. hang in there.. please." I cry lightly.

He smiles lightly before speaking. "Don't worry about me Nikki... I'm no longer tormented. Ferry has been avenged. My soul... can rest on Galloria."

"I'm sorry," I manage to say through light sobs. "I'm so sorry that I couldn't save you... or your son..."

"No need to be sorry Nikki..." Curtis replies, almost cheerfully. "You're still a great hero. You've... stopped the madness that threatened to destroy Venom. You've created a hopeful future for my people. A future that... I won't... be a part of."

"Curtis..." I can barely speak. "I will never forget you, You've been a very good friend."

"So..." Curtis says with his last breath. "Have you. Your... a good... person... Nikki... forgive yourself. Stop... Scales..."

Curtis' releases his grip on my arm as I sob uncontrollably. I can feel Panther's arm on my shoulder, trying to comfort me. He kneels down and hugs me tenderly. I continue to weep.

"I... failed... I couldn't... protect..." I ramble slightly.

"You did all you could Nikki," Panther assures me. "Venom is safe now, thanks to you."

I smile lightly as Panther continues to embrace me.

"Thank you," I manage to say while sniffling slightly. "Really you've been the only thing keeping me going."

"Same here Nikki," Panther comments lightly. "I would have lost my way long ago if it wasn't for your bravery and determination."

***

As Wolf and Leon look at the destruction around them, they begin to converse.

"Are you ever gonna tell her the truth Wolf?" Leon ponders.

"Of course I will I'm just... looking for the right time Leon," Wolf says defensively.

"The right time? How is that gonna come unless you create it?" Leon questions profusely. "She's gonna have more questions Wolf, you'll have to face your past eventually. How much longer are you gonna run away from it?"

"I'm not running away from anything," wolf snaps. "She's not ready to know the truth yet. That would just add to her worry and grief. I will not to that to her."

"Fine... Sorry for prying into your life," Leon says as he backs away. "You know that she'll forgive you right?"

"I'm not sure," Wolf states sadly. "I don't know how she could. What I did devastated her. I know if I were in her position, I wouldn't forgive me."

With sorrow in his eyes, Wolf turns towards Nikki again and smiles for a brief second.


	17. Cerinian Secrets

Here it is everyone, chapter sixteen. The truth about Nikki's family is revealed, along with my version of what happened to Cerinia. I realize that a LOT of people have wrote about its downfall. Mine is just plain and simple and perhaps different from the others. If I was writing a different fic, I'd probably go pretty deeply into it. But as such, I can't right now. Anyway I hope you all enjoy this chapter. It was difficult to write.

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**Chapter 16: Cerinian Secrets**

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**It has been three days since the last remnant of the Aparoid race was destroyed. Our plans have changed drastically ever since a rumor started to spread amongst the citizens of Galloria. It told that a large army had departed from Sauria. Apparently, it contains massive warships and a innumerable amount of fighters. With this new information, Wolf has decided to head to Corneria along with Fox. It seemed as though everything would run more smoothly, that is until Krystal offered a suggestion of her own...

I walk into the sand-filled and barren hanger where I landed my wolfen. I notice that Wolf and Krystal are arguing. As I get closer, I notice that it's about me.

"She must come with me to Cerinia, Wolf. It's of utmost importance," Krystal says concernedly.

"Why?" Wolf barks back. "We're in the middle of a bloody war and we've already wasted three days on this rotting planet."

"She must know the truth about her past," Krystal replies confidently. "If she doesn't it can and _will_ put the whole mission at risk."

Wolf stops checking the thrusters on his wolfen and stops moving for a few seconds.

He sighs as he turns to face Krystal. "Fine. Do what you must. We should be able to defend Corneria by ourselves for a couple of days. Just be sure to come and aid us as soon as you can."

"Thank you Wolf," Krystal speaks in a kind manner. "We won't be very long at all."

Krystal walks up to me, obviously noticing that I eavesdropped on the conversation.

"We'll leave as soon as we can Nikki, are you ready to go?" Krystal asks with a hint of urgency.

"Why do we need to go again?" I question, slightly puzzled.

"I'll explain on the way, it's quite the long tale. We need to get to Cerinia as soon as possible. I promise I'll explain everything on our way there," Krystal says seriously.

She pulls something out of her pocket. It looks like a flat, metallic square. Closing her eyes to concentrate, she places her hand in the center of the object as some kind of blue-tinted energy surrounds it. The object begins to takes the form of a full face metallic helmet. The front of it shines with a radiant glow, while the outer shell seems to glisten in the sunlight.

"This is ancient Cerinian battle armor. Wear it, the Cerinian atmosphere has been intolerable for almost fifteen years now," Krystal explains as she hands it to me.

"Hmm... wouldn't a suit be more appropriate?" I sarcastically remark as I put it on.

Almost as soon as I put it on my head, metal expands out of it. After a few seconds I'm covered in head to toe in shiny, white, metallic armor. I raise and lower my arms as I smile. I'm surprised at how light the materiel is.

"_You okay in there?_" I hear Krystal's voice through the intercom of the suit as she chuckles lightly.

"Yeah," I reply, astonished. "It's quite comfortable."

I turn my head around and notice that my tail is covered in metal as well. I can barely feel any extra weight on it.

"_Yup,_" Krystal says enthusiastically. "_It's a lightweight, yet highly resilient metal. Now set your radio frequency to eighty-seven point three. That's the one I'll be using on my suit."_

Krystal then heads towards a different hanger, the one where her arwing is obviously. I turn to face Wolf again and I open my mouth to speak, however he seems to be the one who wants to talk to me first.

"_Nikki, I just wanted to say that I hope you'll find what your looking for on Cerinia,_" He states concernedly.

"I don't even know what I'm looking for," I reply with disdain. "I have so many unanswered questions, ones that need answering. I just found out about a brother that I didn't even know I had..."

Wolf pauses for a second and brushes a surprised expression off of his face. "_A brother? How'd you find out about him?_"

"I don't know... faint feelings and dreams have alluded to his existence. Besides that I have nothing to go on, just a hunch really." I respond, almost bitterly.

"_Well... maybe he's still alive,_" Wolf says, almost encouragingly. "_I still feel the same way about my father._"

"I hope he is," I say as as I try to change the subject. "Anyway, Krystal and I should only be a day or so behind you. We'll see you then."

I enter my wolfen and take off after a few moments. I have almost adjusted to the Cerinian battle suit. I don't feel quite so boxed in. As I speed off into the atmosphere, I notice Wolf and Leon are talking but I can't hear them. I wonder what their conversation is about.

"Wolf," Leon says with concern for his friend. "Are you _ever_ gonna tell your sister the truth?"

Wolf closes his eyes as he kicks the gravel beneath his boots. "Yes... after we save Corneria from Scales' ass I will tell her everything..."

***

Scales is sleeping in his living quarters on _The Devastator_, when he is awoken by a sudden transmission coming through his intercom.

"_I'm sorry to disturb you General, but we have a problem here,_" A soldier says regretfully.

In a fit of anger, Scales tears his pillow in half as he reluctantly stomps out of bed. He yawns with a loud, gut-wrenching roar as he presses a button on the intercom.

"What is it you moron?" He growls in a scornful way. "I need my sleep before we reach Corneria."

"_I'm sorry to wake you sir,_" The soldier replies fearfully. "_But we've just heard reports that Venom is no longer our ally._"

Scales, now fully alert, bellows into the intercom. "What?! That's impossible! why in the hell would he betray _me_?! When I find him I'll tear him apart with my bare hands and burn his head on a stake!"

"_I'm uh... afraid that won't be possible my liege,_" The solider responds nervously. "_He's been killed. The remaining Generals and Commanders of the Venomian army have agreed to fight along side Corneria._"

Calming down a little bit, he comes up with a new plan. "Increase the movement speed of my fleet by three times the normal rate, commander."

"_But... my lord... if we do that we won't have enough fuel cells to get back to Sauri-_" The commander shudders as he's interrupted.

"I don't want excuses I want results!" Scales screams annoyingly. "Once we take over Corneria, we'll be able to harvest all the fuel cells we want. We have them outnumbered five to one with our current fleet. We cannot allow Star Fox, Star Wolf and Venom to come to their aid or we won't have the advantage anymore."

"_Of course my liege, I shouldn't have questioned your genius,_" The commander replies almost coldly. "_We should be there in two hours at that speed._"

"Good... now let me get back to my nap you buffoon," Scales snarls bitterly.

Scales turns off the intercom and jumps back into bed. Sadly for him, he cannot sleep. He just keeps tossing and turning in his sheets. An feeling of uneasiness continues to eat away at his consciousness. The fear of failure that is within him has almost taken over.

'_Go Away!_' He yells in his head. '_I will not fail this time. Fox and Nikki will die side by side in my arena. I will not rest until this occurs! Never! Ever!_'

***

I've only been flying for an hour but it seems like a week in this infernal suit. It was easy to get used to at first, but now it's starting to chafe. Krystal is flying in front of me, leading the way.

"_We should be there in a few minutes,_" Krystal says nicely. "_Hold on, that's it up ahead._"

As I look in front of me I see a planet. It has a shimmering blue surface that's barely visible through the violet colored air. It's gleaming softly in the sunlight given off by the Strattus sun.

"Where exactly are we going?" I ponder aloud.

She pauses for a moment, then says. "_To your father's castle._"

"My... father?" I peep, stunned.

"_Yes,_" Krystal replies sadly. "_I'll explain everything once we land._"

As we approach the atmosphere I notice that the clouds are indeed purple, I assume they're poisonous. As we approach the surface, I'm startled by what I see. Huge, ruined skyscrapers cover the vast landscape. Most of them are only half there, while others are mostly intact. In a small section of the landscape I notice the remnants of a huge forest. However, every single tree is dead. The other parts of the surface are simply vast plains with no grass. Blue rocks and rubble are scattered across them. There appear to be remnants of old style villages throughout some of the plains.

I land my wolfen right next to Krystal's arwing.

As I get out, I think to myself. '_Damn.. what happened to this planet?_'

"_War,_" Krystal responds to my thoughts quickly. "_I'll tell you everything that I know..._"

I begin to listen intently as Krystal begins to explain the history of her planet.

***

_According to legend, Cerinia was formed roughly six millenniums ago. We do not how our planet was created or why. Some people called the ones who forged Cerinia gods, while others refused to acknowledge their existence. Whatever they were, they were a very advanced race. They were able to pass freely through space and time. They glowed with a radiant light. They had incredible magical powers, which allowed them to form Cerinia and infuse it with rich energy._

_After they formed the planet, they needed life on it. So... they created various canines and vixens, each having a unique magical affinity. Some had the gift of foresight, while others had immense strength. A relative few could control a specific element or even move objects without even touching them. Unfortunately, they didn't see the trouble that would cause for our world. A few of the Cerinian races became cruel and selfish. After a few millenniums, war had ravaged our planet so much that only two separate groups remained. The Mah-dem, which is Cerinian for "Royalty," and the Toro-kan meaning "Warrior." My Mother was the queen of the Mah-dem tribe. We lived peacefully for two in a half centuries. We were allied with the Toro-kan, who had helped us defeat the last of the evildoers on Cerinia. But something happened that we could never have anticipated. When I was fourteen, mysterious strangers started to show up on our planet. They had a massive army and threatened to wipe us out completely if we didn't comply with their demands. My mother refused to surrender, which ignited another war that lasted for almost a year._

***

"Why are you telling me all of this?" I ask, trying to not offend.

"_Because... it is the history of your planet too,_" Krystal replies plainly. "_There's no one left besides us. I am the last of the Mah-dem, and you're the last of the Toro-kan._"

I fall to my knees and cry softly as the truth cuts me deeply. I have had an incredible power my whole life, I just forgot about it.

"Why'd you bring me here?" I almost scream bitterly.

"_I wanted you to know the truth,_" She comforts as she puts her hand on my shoulder. "_Your strength comes from your bloodline, not some evil experiment that they may have done to you. Your father was a descendant of one of Cerinia's creators, as was mine. There is a castle where I used to live long ago. It's a few miles from here. Your family's heirloom is located in its ruins, we're here to get it. Without it you won't be able to defeat Scales._"

"All right," I reply as I get up. "Let's get going then."

I follow Krystal through the ruined forest ahead, unaware of the torment still raging inside of her. As she huffs softly, a violent memory flashes through her.

***

_Krystal wakes up in a panic. She can hear sounds of battle beneath her. She grabs her staff from the top of her bedside table and holds it firmly in her hands. She runs out of her room and into a palace hallway. The air seems to be filled with a dense darkness, which shrouds the beauty of the glorious halls. A dark warrior approaches her, he seems to be enshrouded in smoke. He draws a Kris from his belt and swings it at her furiously and he snarls. She sidesteps to the left as she slams her staff onto the assailant's back. The intruder growls with pain as it attempts a back kick. However, she counters with a vertical blow to the head. The intruder hisses and seems to dissipate into the surrounding air._

_Krystal turns around and begins to descend her palace stairs. Three more warriors, covered in shadow approach her from the bottom of the stairs. She closes her eyes to focus her thoughts. Her staff glows with a radiant light as she mutters a few words. The assassins back away to flee but it's already too late. A huge sphere of light shoots out of the staff and consumes the dark fiends as they shriek. She runs down the twisted staircase into her mother's throne room. She can't see very far because the air is still thick with a dense, almost malevolent fog._

_"Mom?!" Krystal yells worriedly. "Where are you?"_

_As she heads for the dining room she bumps into a white fox, clad in blue Cerinian armor. He looks at her concernedly._

_"My lady... I've got to get you out of here," The fox says with urgency._

_"But what about-" Krystal speaks but is interrupted._

_"Your mother is safe, she is being escorted to the evacuation shuttle with my daughter and wife," The fox explains quickly._

_"What are these creatures? Where did they come from Captain Grant? Tell me.. please," Krystal says, confused._

_"I'm sorry my lady.. my orders are to take you to safety, not answer your questions. Now follow me," General Grant replies sternly._

_As he finishes his sentence, a huge creature smashes through the castle's gate. It's over thirty feet high, standing upright with a battle-axe in its hand. It's eyes are blood-red, it's body seems to be made of the same smoke as the previous intruders._

_"Run!" General Grant yells as loud as he can. "Quickly!"_

_Without time to think, the creature extends its free arm. Thick, black smoke surrounds the General as he's lifted into the air. Krystal stares with fear as he's cast across the room. He lands on the floor in front of the ruined throne, dazed and hurt._

_"No!!!" Krystal yells violently._

_Her hands begin to glow brightly as her staff vibrates and hums. The colossal beast roars as Krystal releases all the energy in her weapon. A massive aura of light and fire magic rips through its chest. The beast howls as it swings his battle-axe downward. She rolls to the right as the huge axe pierces the palace floor, cracking it deeply. The creature seems to break apart and crack as it explodes in a purple cloud of toxins._

_Krystal cries as she runs up to General Grant. She kneels down as she attempts to support his head._

_"My lady... can you make me one final promise?" Grant says as he coughs._

_"Of course... you've been loyal to my mother for years," Krystal replies as she wipes away tears._

_"Take care of.. my daughter," Grant says boldly. "Make sure she gets raised on a good planet. When she's old enough.. bring her... back here. Give her... my sword... it'll... help her to... turn the tide... of darkness."_

_"Turn the tide of what?" Krystal questions, puzzled._

_"War. It'll destroy Cerinia and consume Sauria. The Krazoa have predicted it," Grant says seriously. "This sword... is the only thing that will pierce the foreseen leader... my daughter... must survive. So she can fulfill... this... prophecy."_

_With that, General Grant closes his eyes and loosens his grip on Krystal's hand. She hears hissing around her so she knows that time is short. With water in her eyes, Krystal runs out of her palace and towards her mother's docking bay. When she arrives she notices that the transport shuttle is completely intact, with a few large scratch marks on it. However, her mother and Mrs. Grant are lying on the ground, motionless, along with about five other soldiers. A fresh pool of blood lies around each of the bodies. There's a crying baby in the hands of Mrs. Grant._

_"Mom!!!" Krystal screams as she runs up to her mother's body. She cries for about a minute, embracing her mother heavily but she's already gone The sound of the sobbing baby can still be heard. Krystal picks her up and wraps her in a blanket._

_"Shh... there there..." Krystal says calmly as she tries to calm it down._

_All of a sudden she hears growls and snarling around her. recognizing her chance of escape is slipping, she enters the small vessel and takes off. As she leaves the atmosphere she notices that huge purple-colored explosions begin to consume the planet. Still crying while holding the baby, she cycles through the ships navigational logs. One planet strikes her interest._

_"Four...tune..ah. Sounds like a nice planet." Krystal mutters to herself. "What do you think kid?"_

_The baby simply coos as Krystal replies. "Me too."_

***

We arrive at the castle after hiking for almost an hour. It's mostly intact, only a couple towers and the main gate are missing.

"What is this place?" I ponder to myself.

"_This is where I grew up,_" Krystal replies honestly. "_I'll tell you everything else now._"

By the time she finishes explaining her story I'm sobbing once again.

"So.. you brought me to Fortuna? Did you meet my brother when you left me with my uncle?" I question.

"_No,_" Krystal sighs. "_I didn't even know about him until recently. He... probably grew up on another planet. A different system possibly._"

I get up off of the ground and cross the drawbridge of the huge castle. There's a huge darkened battle-axe embedded in the marble floor. It's black and covered in mysterious lettering. I peer ahead and notice the throne room. I run into it and I see the remains of my father. His skeleton is covered in blue armor that has tarnished with age. His sword is still clutched in his hand, aglow with a strange aura. I start crying again. I cannot seem to handle being in the last place my father was alive.

"Who did this? What did this?" I manage to say through tears of anguish.

"_The Krazoa,_" Krystal replies sadly.

A wave of shock hits me so violently that I'm overtaken with anger. "The protectors of Sauria? Why would they commit such a horrible act?!"

"_There were thousands of them at one time,_" Krystal says as she crys herself. "_Some were good, most were evil. The good ones managed to flee Cerinia. They created Sauria about a year afterwards. They left us here alone to deal with their problem. The evil Krazoa killed everyone in their path... and then wiped each other out. Cerinia was left as you see it today. Nothing more than a rotting, decaying world._"

I feel saturated with hate once again. I don't know how the Krazoa could be so cowardly and stupid. I slowly pry my father's hand open and grab onto the sword. It has a golden trim around the edges of the hilt. The blade is made of steel, it has strange lettering on it. It's glowing with a beautiful cobalt haze.

"Let's go Krystal," I say out loud. "Scales needs to pay for what he's done... and I need answers from the Krazoa themselves..."

We head back to our ships, more determined than ever to put an end to the upcoming war.


	18. Shattered Dreams

Here it is, chapter 17. Sorry it took so long to get here. I hope you all enjoy the action and drama. It's the last of the chapters in part one that doesn't feature Nikki as the main character.

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**Chapter 17: Shattered Dreams**

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The Cornerian populace is in a state of outcry and agony. Several unsubstantiated reports have confirmed that massive enemy fleet flying towards their planet. Riots and raids have started to erupt in many Cornerian cities and outposts. The police force has been stretched to its limit. Governmental officials are in a state of panic, fanatically gathering every soldier that they can find and sending them off into space. They are now very vulnerable to an attack, more than they have been since the Lylat wars.

Off in the distance of space, Scales manages to let out a smile from _The Devastator's_ command post. He knows that the time to attack has finally arrived. Tigeress, Johnathan and Scarbb are standing around him, awaiting their orders. Gatorbile is watching the other men on the ship closely, making sure they're all working as hard as possible. His broken hand is in a sling, almost fully healed. Scales raises his left hand, signifying that he's ready to speak.

"Tigeress, take your fighters to the surface of the planet. Kill everyone and destroy _everything_ in your site," Scales snarls with a deep voice.

"Yes General... I will slaughter every single one of those pathetic fools," The dark souled vixen replies cunningly.

"Scarbb and Johnathan, take your men and wipe out the Cornerian fleet," Scales snaps convincingly. "Do not let anything or anyone flee from the surface."

Scarbb keeps his head down while Johnathan speaks. "Heh heh... yes my lord. We shall not fail this task."

After receiving their orders, the cold-blooded killers run out of the room. Every one of them eager to deal out death and destruction, except for Scarbb. Scales now turns his attention towards Gatorbile. He's staring at Corneria through a oblong, glass window. Various explosions are already lighting up the spacial battlefield, appearing only as minuscule flashes of light.

"Gatorbile, let me know when Fox arrives," Scales whispers fearfully. "When he does, deploy the special units. He will have no choice but to surrender."

"Of course," Gatorbile says without sounding intimidated. "He will surrender. _I'll_ make sure of it."

"You'd better not screw this one up," Scales growls angrily. "Or I'll break more than your hand..."

As Scales walks away, Gatorbile utters something under his breath. Scales then sits down on his chair in the main control room, watching each crew member carefully.

"Listen up everyone," Scales growls as everyone stands upright and alert. "Today is our day of vengeance! From this hour henceforth... we will take back what belongs to us! Command _all_ legions, except for squad one-zero-eight, to assault the Cornerian fleet. Go go go!"

Everyone begins to run around in a frenzy. They begin to press buttons on their consoles, communicating with the various fleets and sending out orders to high ranked commanders.. Within a few minutes, a second wave of ships begins to descend on Corneria. The whole planet, along with it's spacial sectors are all mapped out on a massive hologram on display in front of Scales. It shows the details of every ship in each fleet. On a numerical screen below the hologram, a digital number of both fleets is displayed. Corneria has roughly four thousand ships left, Scales has well over ten thousand.

'_Excellent,_' Scales mutters to himself. '_I can't believe I thought that we needed Venom's help. The Krazoa's insolent hold on my mind has finally vanished. I will rule. Finally... I will rule..._'

A couple more minutes, a officer in the room runs up towards Scales. He has a device in his hand, probably some sort of counter.

"Sir!" The officer salutes. "Our latest numbers indicate that the Cornerian fleet is being decimated. We have them outnumbered twenty to one now. Shall we proceed with a surface attack?"

"Yes," Scales replies, almost nicely. "The flagships and squad one-zero-eight will be able to take care of the remaining fleet and the incoming reinforcements. Order the fighters to begin a ground assault immediately."

The officer salutes again before replying. "Yes General. Right away."

After a few more minutes, Gatorbile walks up towards Scales and whispers. "Fox is here... shall I deploy squad one-zero-eight?"

Scales laughs lightly. "Yes... activate _it_ immediately..."

Scales stands up and walks towards the command center's window. He looks to the left and notices the Venom fleet has arrived.

"Fools... you will all die here today," Scales states proudly.

Unaware that Nikki hasn't yet arrived, Scales leaves the command room. His plan was nearing completion... or so it would seem.

***

Fox has a worried look on his face the instant he sees Scales' fleet.

"That fighter fleet is huge," Falco says, almost hesitantly. "They're all heading for Corneria's surface!"

"Okay," Fox replies. "Diego, take your men and defend the Cornerian surface. "Star Wolf and my team will stay here to aid the Cornerian fleet."

"Got it Fox," Diego responds swiftly. "All squads proceed to Cornerian sector four-three-seven. Adjust g-diffuser output to six point five, activate all range mode on your stabilizers."

The Venom fighters fly towards Cornerian City. Various wishes of good luck can be heard as they disappear into the atmosphere.

"Slippy, Falco... stay close," Fox commands as he starts to take out some pirate stragglers.

"Yes Fox," Slippy says, almost cheerfully as he shoots a few himself.

"Fox.. we'll head for Scales' flagship. If we can bring it down we can end this right away," Wolf states with confidence.

"Alright," Fox replies quickly. "We'll defend the remaining Cornerian fleet."

The aerial battle begins swiftly. Thirty enemy fighters quickly approach the group. Slippy rolls to the left and shoots through a couple cockpits before finishing his roll. Falco simply adjusts his stabilizers to make a tight turn, before blasting several holes in many different engines. Panther and Leon both roll away from each other before firing. their lasers pierce through the hulls of one third of the fighters, causing them to combust. With only seven fighters left, Fox fires a smart bomb which consumes the rest of them. The remaining pirates begin to flee, leaving them more vulnerable to attacks from behind. Wolf fires at many of them, bringing down nearly forty in under thirty seconds.

All of a sudden, a loud shrieking noise can be heard through everyone's intercoms. Everyone covers their ears as a blinding flash of light appears in the front of _The Devastator_. A shockwave, hundreds of feet wide, rips across the remaining Cornerian fleet.

"What the hell is that?" Leon bellows.

"Oh ****!" Wolf yells. "Everyone pull away! Hurry!"

Fox and Wolf manage to boost away from just in time. Everyone else is caught in the electrified field.

"My wolfen! it-" Panther says before static takes over.

"What the hell-" Leon shudders, confused.

A mysterious ship suddenly reveals itself. It's at least twice the size of _The Devastator_. It has a huge hanger that seems to cover one whole side of the ship. A mysterious force begins to pull the broken ships into the hanger.

"Fox!" Wolf yells. "We have to leave right now!"

"What are you talking about?" Fox snaps. "We need to help our tea-"

"We can't! We'll be captured too! We must flee and formulate a new plan!" Wolf yells bitterly, sounding scared for the first time that Fox can recall.

"All right..." Fox reluctantly agrees, almost in agony. "But what if Scales' kills our teammates?!"

"He won't," Wolf replies. "He wants _you_. He won't kill them until he has you. that's why we must _not_ be caught."

Without saying another word, Wolf and Fox make the most difficult decision of their lives. They flee and take off into the depths of space, leaving everything behind with the hope of saving everyone at a later time. But someone else was not about to give up quite so soon...

***

Meanwhile, the fight to liberate the Cornerian surface has almost failed. The Venom fleet has almost been completely destroyed. The sky is filled with thick pollution caused by thousands of fallen ships. The EMP blast that came from _The Devastator_ managed to affect the Cornerian surface too. Scales' fleet was also wiped out. Tigeress managed to land her fighter on a crumbling highway. Johnathan and Scarbb were sucked into the mysterious vessel, codenamed squad _one-zero-eight_, along with Slippy, Falco, Peppy, Leon, Panther and Bill.

Diego was forced to crash-land into a nearby skyscraper. Thankfully, his fighter didn't explode. He smashes part of his cockpit's windshield and climbs out of it, clutching his hurt chest and groaning lightly. Pulling his rifle out of the cockpit, he hears distant screams coming from the streets below. He peers out of a broken window, and sees that pirates are beginning to slaughter civilians, laughing loudly.

'_I've got to stop this,_' He thinks to himself as he looks through his rifle's scope.

He continues to look through it as he carefully takes aim at some of the pirates. He snipes a pirate in the head, much to the surprise of his comrades. They look around, wondering where the shot came from. He fires again, hitting a second one in the chest. The third one takes cover behind a nearby hover-truck while drawing his blaster.

"Fool..." Diego says aloud.

The third laser hits the hover-truck's gas tank, the blast manages to take out roughly fifteen pirates in a small explosion representing a miniature nuclear weapon going off. Suddenly, he hears a large crackling noise. He looks up and notices that the ceiling is about to cave in.

"Whoa!" He yells as he rolls to the left, barely avoiding the falling concrete.

"Time to leave," Diego remarks as he starts to stand.

However, the floor immediately crumbles underneath him. As he's falling, he quickly grabs onto the broken window's ledge. A few of his fingers are cut by shards of glass as he struggles to hold on. He looks down below him, only to notice that the floors are out for at least twenty stories.

"Perfect," Diego says with strained voice. "Just... perfect. "

Moving his legs, he struggles to break through the window below him. After a few decent blows, the window shatters loudly. He places his feet on the bottom ledge which releases the tension in his hands. He pulls himself up to the not-so-solid floor and makes a mad dash for the complex's staircase. The floor quickly falls apart around him, so he makes a desperate leap towards the stairwell door. He slams his shoulder through the door just as the ceiling collapses above him. He falls down a few stairs before regaining his balance. Breathing a quick sigh of relief, he descends the stairs as quickly as he can. Once he descends a few floors however, the building begins to tilt and rumble loudly.

"Oh ****," He curses as he grabs onto the nearby railing. "The whole freaking building is coming down."

Various cracks in the wall are allowing sunlight to enter the building. Drywall dust fills the air as huge chunks of walls and surfaces continue to crumble. several pieces of debris come within inches of his face. Thinking he's about to die, he closes his eyes as the building continues to swerve. Feeling a major shift in gravity, he balances himself on the safety bars. He hears a loud shatter as he opens his eyes. The window opposite to his position has shattered on a high-raised highway. The debris stops falling for a few seconds and the building seems to have grinded to a halt. There seems to be just enough space for an adult to squeeze through.

'_This is crazy,_' He argues with himself, "_but it's my only chance to get out of this hellhole alive._'

Sliding down the cracked floor, he prepares to jump through the window. Cracking can be heard throughout the building once again as he jumps out onto the damaged highway. The acrid smell of death is thick outside. He almost throws up but he knows he's not in the clear yet. The building is falling at an incredible rate. The cement around him begins to rupture violently as he runs as fast as he can. He's almost hit by several pieces of debris that come at him like meteors but he keeps moving. After about a minute, the building is destroyed completely and ground stops crumbling beneath him. He breathes a sigh of relief as he looks at the wreckage.

"Oh... man... haven't had to run like that for a while," Diego says while still trying to catch his breath.

"You may have to run some more," Another nearby voice says fiendishly. "Scales hates traitors you know."

He looks up to see Tigeress staring at him, grinning. The blood of countless innocents covers her black overcoat, it's still dripping from her orange-furred hands. Her eyes are glowing with a sickly glow.

"Tigeress?" Diego questions, surprised. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I was invited by the General himself," Tigeress replies cunningly. "Scales is taking over Corneria... then again I'm sure you've figured that out by. Too bad you won't live long enough to see the rest of his conquests."

She pulls two swords out of her belt, and tosses one towards Diego. He dodges out of its way as it pierces a neaby vehicle.

"Come on _honey_, Let's play a game." Tigeress responds as her eyes glow redder.

"You have KV in your system too don't you?" Diego yells worriedly as he pulls the sword out of the car. "You have no idea what that **** will do to you."

Tigeress laughs, almost uncontrollably. "I control _it_! Not the other way around! It's more powerful than you'll ever be!"

"We'll see about that. I'll have put an end to this monster, even if it means killing you." Diego replies quickly. "Even if you are-"

"Shut up!" Tigeress screams. "I am no longer that person you met all those years ago. Not after what _you_ did."

Holding his blade in front of him, Tigeress runs towards him at full speed. She swings wildly, carving horizontally. Diego counters with a thrust aimed at Tigeress' throat. She backs away, almost tripping over the highways railing. Using the open opportunity, He dashes towards her quikcly. Seeing his move however, she pushes a nearby broken hover-car towards him. It slams him in the leg, knocking him off of his feet. Tigeress, having regained her balance, runs towards him. She attempts to kick him square in the face, however he rolls to the right and stands upright again. Furious, she swings her sword towards him again. Diego manages to grab her arm and kick her on the side of the head. She yelps as she tumbles on the ground. Using all of her strength, she tears a piece of concrete from the highway and throws it at him. He ducks just in time as the impact causes a nearby truck to explode. He jumps towards her causing the sword to pierce her shoulder. She screams as kicks her into another vehicle, almost cracking it. She staggers to the ground as she curses.

"Grr.... why isn't KV working? It's supposed to make me _stronger_," Tigeress scorns.

"I tried to tell you but you wouldn't listen to me," Diego says, almost sympathetically. "Tigeress... why are you doing this? You used to be a good person. Before this all started you were kind and gentle soul-"

"_Don't_ try to psycho-analyze me Diego!" Tigeress snaps coldly. "You have no idea what Corneria has done. What they did to cover up... everything."

She stands upright and grabs Diego by the neck. She's about to lift him into the air when he draws his blaster and shoots her twice in the chest. She staggers to her knees, barely able to breathe as he says goodbye

"I'm sorry Tigeress... you've changed. I cannot allow you to harm one more soul. Goodbye..." Diego states as he pulls the trigger again, hitting her directly in the head.

"Go...to...hell..." She manages to say before her lifeforce leaves her permanently.

As Tigeress' breathless body hits the ground, Diego wipes a few tears from his eyes.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." He cries as he hostlers his blaster. "Whoever did this too you... I swear that they will pay..."

He turns around and notices several pirates are behind him, aiming their weapons directly at his head.

"Hands up! You scum! Scales' wants you alive," One of the pirates remarks.

Having no choice, Diego raises his hands in the air as one of the pirates knocks him out.

***

As Krystal and I enter Cornerian space and I can already tell that something is very wrong. There are no fighters, no fleets, no debris in the vast nothingness around Corneria. The only thing that remains are a few large flagships.

"_Saurian design_," Krystal speaks through the intercom. "_We're too late Nikki, the battle is over..._"

"No... it... can't be. Scales is still here and-" I say before I'm interrupted.

"_Corneria is burning... there is nothing left,_" Krystal says with sorrow. "_Scales came too early, we shouldn't have gone to-_"

Krystal is interrupted as I see a flash of light off in the distance. Something has emanated from one of the huge vessels. A deep feeling of regret fills my heart.

"_Nikki!!!!_" I hear Krystal screaming before the shockwave hits our ships.

I knock my head on the wolfen's dashboard. As I fade out of consciousness, I see a vast ship suddenly appear out of thin air...


	19. Unexpected Friendship

Here it is, chapter eighteen. It has long been considered to be my best chapter. Well, it is by far the longest anyway. I hope you all enjoy. A quick warning for younger ones though. There are slight sexual references in this chapter. Nothing to major or explicit, but still there nonetheless.

* * *

**Chapter 18: Unexpected Friendship**

**

* * *

_One month, twenty-six days after the fall of Corneria..._**

Silence seems to echo all around me. I can only hear the steady beat of my own pulse. My whole body is numb with a tremendous pain. I cannot feel my toes, ears or tail. I want to scream as loud as I can. I can't, my throat is scorched. I try to raise myself up, but I hit my head on something above me. It takes me a few minutes to open my right eye, I cannot see through the other one. As I begin to see my blurred environment I notice that I'm laying down on my stomach. I'm a few feet above the ground, on some sort of hard surface. It feels like stone, although I can't see it clearly enough to be sure.

'_Where...am...I?_' I barely hear myself think.

I look around at my surroundings. The floor is covered in dirt, hay, bones and rotting flesh. Chains are hanging from the ceiling. There are three blood stained walls in the room. The other "wall" is simply a few iron bars that have been formed into a door. The acrid smell of death fills my nostrils, causing me to cough. A glimmer of light shines towards me. It's coming from the iron door. I put my hand in front of my eye, the light is too strong for me to handle.

"Sir... she's awake," Someone grunts near the light. "Shall we bring her to you?"

"_Yes..._" I hear a voice crackle though an intercom. "_Bring her to the interrogation chamber._"

"Yes sir," the disgruntled voice responds. "Right away."

I hear my the sound of keys jingling as my cell door creeks open. After a few seconds I see two sharpclaws in front of me. Despite my attempts to fight them off, I can't. My body falls towards the ground as they grab my arms and lift me up.

My mind feels groggy. I get a massive headache as the light from the dungeon hallway enters my eye. I close it in a desperate attempt to make the pain vanish, but it doesn't. I can feel my heels dragging along the hallway floor, it seems to be made up of another kind of rock.

'_They must have me...drugged,_' I manage to say to myself. '_My strength has... left me._'

As I'm dragged through the dungeon, I hear some people call out my name. I could _swear_ that it's an outside voice, then again I don't really know. It could just be the drugs talking in my head. Or it could simply be a memory. After a few more minutes I'm in a darker area. I can tell because the emblazoning light that I could partially see through my closed eyelids has faded. I slowly open them again.

The room that I'm in now is dark, has a mirror mounted on a wall and a wooden table in the middle of it. Two metallic chairs, each on opposite sides of the table, are nailed to the ground. The sharpclaws force me onto the chair and bind my legs and hands with chains. After making sure that I am secure, they leave the room. I'm slowly starting to come out of my dazed state, when I notice a glass of water is on the table.

"Go on," A sinister voice in the shadows says coldly. "Take a drink. You _must_ be thirsty."

I drink the water quickly, perhaps to quickly. I don't care though, I'm parched. As soon as I chug it down, my body feels like it has returned to its normal condition. I feel my energy return as well.

"Good," The voice laughs. "You should be able to speak now."

The other person in the room turns on the lights in the room and smiles. I cover my eyes again as I see a familiar shape unfold.

"Gatorbile!" I shout, surprised. "What're you doing here?"

Gatorbile places his hands on the table across from me and sneers. "I'll be asking the questions around here Nikki. Scales needs to know a few things."

He presses a large blue button on the table and I feel a massive surge of electricity run under my skin. After about two seconds it stops and I almost scream with agony. I can see smoke rising off of my body.

"_If_ you answer my questions quickly, you'll go through less pain," Gatorbile smirks. "Now then... where is Wolf's base located? My master is having a difficult time locating it."

I lift my head toward Gatorbile and stare at him angrily. "Go...to...hell..." I manage to say.

The shockwave goes through my body again. I cannot hold back my screams this time, the pain is too great.

"You think I'm playing with you Nikki?" He yells seriously. The look on his face is one of fear, I recognize it. "I want that location. If you don't tell me... you'll suffer more."

I stare into eyes as he walks closer towards me. My gaze is one of hatred and disdain.

"Piss... off..." I barely manage to mumble.

In a fit of anger, he runs up to me and yells. "I am _not_ playing around! Tell me that location now!"

Seeing an open opportunity, I grab Gatorbile by the neck. A haunting stare of fear sweeps across his eyes. The chains holding my arms break as I smash his head on the table, splintering the wood. I lift the table and tear a leg off of it as Gatorbile starts to stand, stunned. I slam the wooden club into the side of his leg, tripping him.

"You'll get nothing out of me!" I yell as I drive the sharp, broken end of the leg into his abdomen.

He lets out a shrieking noise as I hear the door crash open behind me. I turn around and notice a small needle heading for my chest. As it hits me everything fades out...

_**A few months later...**_

Gatorbile didn't die the first time he interrogated me, I wish that he had. However I was filled with so much anger on that day that I was out of focus. The wooden stake missed his vital organs. Day and night are now fused together, hell I don't even know the day of the week anymore. I lost track of time a long time ago. I don't know how long it's been since the last time I've felt the warmth of the Lylat sun. It may only be a few weeks but it feels like years. I spend most of my time in my cell. My "meals" usually consist of some sort of undercooked meat and dirty lukewarm water. I don't know how often they torture me, they don't even ask me questions anymore. They just want me to suffer. All I know is that I just wanna get out of this hell hole. I can't... I can't escape... I'm gonna die in here...

_**An unknown amount of time later...**_

I smell really horrible... I must. I can't remember the last time I had a nice hot shower. I can't recall the smell of fresh air, cool afternoon breezes seem like a luxuary to me now. My gray combat pants are torn up. They're so short that they barely cover me up. My shirt is almost gone as well, it barely keeps me warm anymore. It sticks to my itchy skin like glue. Thick pieces of dirt have tangled up patches of my fur and hair. I have seriously wondered why I haven't been killed yet. I have given them nothing and they give me nothing in return. I shiver every night. Falling asleep is difficult. It's freezing down here. Of course, I still don't know where "here" is...

***

I am suddenly awoken by the sound of blaster fire nearby. My whole body is shaking with fear. The drugs they've been given me make hiding my emotions difficult. The two guards guarding my cell utter a shuddering cry as they fall to the ground. I panic and fall off of my concrete bed, onto the filthy ground below me. I hear the intruder rummaging through the guard's bodies before I hear the sound of my door unlocking.

"Hold on Nikki," A unfamiliar voice speaks softly. "I'm getting you out of here."

My door slides open and I see a sharpclaw in front of me. He has a keyring full of keys in one hand, and a steel briefcase in the other. He's wearing a common sharpclaw commander uniform.

"Scarbb?" I grumble with a raspy voice. "What are you... doing here?"

"I'm getting you and your friends out of here. We must put an end to Scales' reign." Scarbb replies as he opens his briefcase.

He pulls out a needle with some sort of green fluid in it. I attempt to crawl away as the needle is inserted into my thigh. My body seems to be full of energy again and I suddenly feel a rush of rage penetrate through me. I grab Scarbb by the neck and stare at him angerily.

"Why are you doing this?" I yell bitterly. "Why are you helping me now?!"

"Please... let go," Scarbb chokes out. "Scales... must be.... stopped. He... killed my family..."

A wave of distress hits me like a massive explosion as I let go of Scarbb's neck. I have hurt an innocent person. I begin to weep uncontrolably. This place, this hell hole, has turned me into someone that I don't even recognize. I don't even know what I'm capable of anymore.

"I'm sorry..." I barely manage to say through tears. "Scarbb I shouldn't have assume-"

"It's fine Nikki, "Scarbb says as he catches his breath. "If I were you... I'd hate sharpclaws too."

"No it's not fine," I say as I wipe my soaked face. "This place has changed me... I... lashed out at you for no reason at all..."

Lifting me up onto my feet, Scarbb responds. "Not all of us are corrupt on the inside Nikki. Many of us were forced to follow Scales, myself included. He threatened the lives of our families, our people. He killed mine long ago. He lied to all of us... he always has. That's why he must be stopped. You're a good person Nikki. You're also the _only_ person who can stop Scales."

"Alright," I sniff. "Let's go get everyone out."

"Everyone is in their cells, except Peppy," Scarbb said regretfully. "Gatorbile took him somewhere about five days ago.. I don't know if-"

I lower my head as I speak. "After we abolish Scales I'll save Peppy myself. Now let's go to the others."

Scarbb leads me through the various hallways. It seems to be a huge underground labyrinth.

"Nikki I need to ask you something," Scarbb says lightly. "Do you know how long you've been down here?"

"No," I reply. "I have lost track of time."

"You've been down here for two years. The only reason Scales has kept you alive is because he wants to see you and Fox die side by side." Scarbb explains seriously.

Another wave of shock sweeps through me. "Two years? what happened to the Lylat sys-"

"It's enshrouded in darkness." Scarbb says sadly. "Every planet is under Scales' control. Everyone has been forced into slave labor and the remaining pirates have colonized on every single planet. But we can reverse it. If the Krazoa are saved from Scales' grasp, they can drive out the pirates and restore immediate order to the system."

"How do you know all this?" I ponder quickly.

"The Krazoa told me. They've chosen me to bring the Lylat system out of the darkness, They've hand picked you and your friends as well," Scarbb replies abruptly. "That's why I need to get you all out here."

After a few more minutes of silence, we reach a wing in the jail where everyone else is. I see Panther, asleep in one of the cells.

"Panther!" I shout as I tear the bars apart like paper.

He wakes up, looks at me and is overjoyed. "Nikki! I thought we had lost you..."

As I embrace him in my arms I feel deep scars along his back and shoulders. He looks at me in the eyes for a few seconds and kisses me. Time seems to slow down as he pulls me in closer. It seems to last for a while but it was probably only for a few seconds. I hear a cough from behind me and notice that everyone is out of their confinement. They're smiling lightly, staring at us. Their clothes are torn and filthy, but they're still smiling.

"When you two lovebirds are done makin' out can we get outta here?" Falco remarks as he grins.

I hug everyone else, except Leon who refuses with a slight glare.

"What is _he_ doing here?" Leon questions while pointing towards Scarbb.

As I explain our situation to everyone, they all get a mournful expression on their faces. Everyone but Leon that is.

"Uh.. sorry for flipping out on you like that," Leon apologizes awkwardly. "I'm just not used to... you know, good sharpclaws."

"That is fine," Scarbb says as he brushes it off. "We'll head for the change rooms. There's an area for you to all get dressed and cleaned up. I've already sorted out clothes for each of you."

We all follow Scarbb, eager to get out of these cruddy clothes. After about two minutes, we arrive in a brightly lit room. The walls, floors and ceiling are covered with light blue tiles. There are ten individual, private showers on the far wall.

"Your new clothes are in the shower's lockers," He says brightly. "Along with a clean towel and grooming supplies. We have three hours until dawn. I'll give you all forty-five minutes to get ready. I'll be outside, guarding the door."

Scarbb slams the door, leaving us all in the room.

"Are you sure we can trust him Nikki?" Panther speaks abruptly. "We don't even know him."

"I know one thing," I speak with kindness in my voice. "We've both gone through the same thing. The loss of our loved ones at the hands of Scales. Scarbb is right... he must be stopped tonight."

I enter the shower, take off my dirty prison clothes and let the water soak into my fur. It's been so long since I last felt the soothing warmth of a nice hot shower. I grab a nearby bar of soap and begin scrubbing the clods of dirt in my fur. It takes about 5 minutes to get them all out. Afterward, I shampoo my hair and rinse. As I turn the water off and pull out a towel from the shower's locker I hear slippy singing. Almost everyone starts to laugh at his off-key voice.

"Hey!" Slippy gargles. "My family has a long history of good singers in its gene pool you know!"

"Obviously you didn't inherit it," Falco comments rhetorically.

Everyone laughs at the comment, including myself. After I dry off, I put on my new shirt, pants and boots. I exit the shower and begin to admire myself in the mirror. The shirt, pants and boots are all black. They seem to fit perfectly.

"Sexy..." Panther whispers into my ear as he hugs me from behind.

"I think that's the whole point," I whisper back as I turn around. "Listen... Panther we uh... need to talk about this... our relationship. We haven't seen each other for two years and-"

"Time doesn't matter Nikki." He says as he kisses me again. "I like you.. a lot. I care about you."

"So do I," I say, while blushing slightly. "If I ever lost you I... don't know what I'd do."

"I'm not going anywhere Nikki," Panther assures me. "I'll always be here for you, you know that."

"Yes..." I calmly reply as I notice others are beginning to exit their showers. "I know that but can we talk about this later?"

"Of course." Panther says as he kisses me lightly again. "We'll take care of Scales first. Then you can question me all you'd like."

After a few awkward glances from our comrades, I pull a black overcoat out of a nearby locker and put it on. It goes down to my knees. It feels quite comfortable.

"Wow Nikki," Leon comments. "You could _almost_ be a badass with that coat on."

Scarbb enters the room after realizing that we're all ready. He nods his head with approval.

"Let's go," Scarbb says urgently. "We cannot linger. I'll take you guys to the storage rooms, your weapons should be in there."

We leave the ceramic floored room and re-enter the dirt covered hallways. After about ten minutes the hallways shift from dark, gross and rotten to bright, shiny and metallic. Scarbb stops at one of the metal doors and enters a five-digit access code. The keypad beeps as Scarbb curses.

"Dammit," Scarbb utters distastefully. "Scales must have changed the code. Your weapons should be in this very room."

I motion my fingers and Scarbb moves away from the door. I close my eyes and concentrate as I take in a deep breath. I yell wildly as I thrust my shoulder into the door, causing it to dent. I try time, the door collapses from my tremendous force.

"Okay uh," Scarbb stutters, obviously surprised. "Problem solved."

"Looks like you can control it now." Krystal says while smiling. "Well done."

"Thank you." I reply, halfheartedly.

As we're rummaging through the various metal crates, one of my comrades finds a crate filled with everyone's weapons. Mine appear to be missing.

"That's odd," Scarbb comments. "I thought your weapons would be in here Nikki."

After a deep sigh, I ask. "Where's the armory?"

"Uh... it's just across the hall-" Scarbb says before being interrupted by the sound of another crashing door. All around me are various shelves are filled with every kind of weapon. Grenade launchers, assault rifles, gatling lasers, everything. I'm browsing through the weaponry when something catches my eye. Two shiny, silver colored blasters are mounted on the wall, behind glass. They're smaller than the standard blaster that I've seen. I smash the glass open and take them. They feel light in my hands.

"Be careful with those." Scarbb comments as he stares at me. "Those are highly experimental. They fire a blue laser at a rapid rate. They're so hot that they can go through most surfaces easily, even metal."

"I'll be careful with them, don't worry," I assure him as I strap the blasters to my belt. "Are there any swords in here?"

"Yeah," Scarbb responds as he points towards a locker. "In there."

The locker is locked. I manage to pull off the door with little effort though. I see a long sword shining in a display case. I open it and pull out the sword. It feels light, probably because my powers are flowing through my veins.

"Let's go," I say to Scarbb quickly. "Scales must be stopped."

"We'll have to go through the arena." Scarbb replies cautiously. "Once we get past it, the surface will be easy to find. We'll be able to make our way to Scales' base from there."

We make our way through the compound again. After about an hour the walls and the floor turn to dirt once again. Another ten minutes pass and we finally reach the arena. Its floor is made of dark stone. There's a pit all around it that seems to glow. I peer down and see lava flowing a couple hundred feet below me.

"Nikki!" I hear a voice behind me shout. "Look out!"

I turn around and notice that the bridge to the arena is falling. Having no other choice I leap towards the arena's ledge. I manage to grab onto it just as the bridge plummets into the burning magma. My breath is strained as I lift myself up onto the arena's floor. Lights suddenly shine in my eyes, followed by the sound of spectators. I look around and I see hundreds of pirates sitting on stone benches. They're all either cheering, laughing or pointing their fingers. I turn around again and notice that everyone else has been trapped in a cage. They cannot reach me. I hear the sound of thudding footsteps as I look up. I see Scales entering the arena. He sits down on a crude throne before hushing the crowd.

"Scales!" I manage to yell over the crowds cheering. "Come down from there and fight like a man!"

The whole crowd laughs with excitement.

"I plan on doing that Nikki," Scales roars, his voice is still the same as I remember it. "But first, I need to see if you are worthy."

"What are you talking about?" I question irritatedly.

"Fight... an old foe." Scales laughs evilly and the whole audience follows suit.

I see that a gate is slowly rising in front of me. I nearly stumble with horror at what I see. A creature with skin that seems to be hanging off of its bones. Patches of fur and torn clothes still cover its body. In between its pale eyes, there's a circular scar. Its feet and hands are bound with chains. It's emitting a constant blood-chilling scream.

"Meet my first functional B.O.W. Nikki," Scales snarls. "After she was killed two years ago... something interesting happened. The KV in her blood made her stronger in death than she ever would have been alive. Her senses are heightened. Her strength has increased tenfold."

"You son of a bitch!" Diego yells through the cage. "How dare you reanimate Tigeress' body! Leave her alone!"

"I didn't have to do anything Diego," Scales remarks. "The KV did my work for me. Now you will see its power."

Tigeress continues to scream violently as she tears off her chains with ease.

'_Tigeress... it's time to finish this._' I utter as I load my blasters.

Within the next instant Tigeress jumps towards me with incredible speed. I attempt to kick the side of her abdomen. She takes the opportunity to grab my leg and throw me across the arena. I cough as I stand up. She's already in my face again. I aim my blasters and attempt to fire at her head. However she knocks them both out of my hands, causing them to fly towards the center of the arena. I take the open moment to grab her by the neck. I lift her up and throw her into a nearby pillar. She simply snarls as the pillar cracks lightly. I run up towards her and attempt to grab her again. Yet she manages to kick me in the face. I stagger back from the pain and almost lose my balance. After regaining my composure I grab her by the leg and throw her body over my head. She hits the ground hard and struggles to get up. I glance downward and I see that one of my blasters is near my feet. With a quick upward back-kick, I grasp it in my hand. I turn to face her quickly, she running toward me swiftly. I fire several shots in her general direction. She screams as her smoke rises from her body. I try to fire again but she grabs my arms and propels me towards another pillar. I feel my breath escape from my lungs as I collide with it, cracking it more.

She stops moving for a second, as Scales speaks. "Do you see Nikki? You cannot face the new world that I have created. Your powers are useless now."

'_No... they're... not..._' I manage to strenuously think.

Using all of my energy I kick Tigeress in the neck, causing her to fall down. Seeing an opening in her defenses I brace myself behind the pillar and push with all my strength. It cracks more at the base and tumbles over. Tigeress' body gets crushed as the pillar collapses onto her. Her body ruptures and stops quivering after a few seconds. After regaining my composure I pick up my blasters. I stare at Scales, more angry than before. I notice that Johnathan is standing beside him.

"Impressive..." He says sarcastically. "But we're just getting started."

Scales then pulls out some sort of vial. It has a red and blue liquid in two separate compartments that cross each other in a helix shape. He attaches a needle to one end and orders his guards to grab Johnathan.

"What're... doing?!" Johnathan cries. "Haven't I proved my... loyalty to you my lord?"

"Yes..." Scales laughs as he readies the needle. "But I'm bored and have no more use for you."

"No... I will not... take...G..." Johnathan says as he tries to escape.

"Yes you will," Scales says with a dark tone. "You have no choice in the matter."

Scales then plunges the needle into Johnathan's shoulder. He screams as he's tossed down to the arena.

"You may have defeated Tigeress," Scales says fiendishly. "but the G-virus is much more powerful than KV. My men discovered data on it last year. It's quite the amazing compound. You can't kill it Nikki, but you are welcome to try."

Johnathan is still screaming with tremendous pain as his body starts to shake. "Why'd you... do this... to me?"

"Because," Scales laughs. "I need to test G out."

"You... monster!" Johnathan says, realizing the truth. "You... don't... care... for... Sauria."

With one final scream of agony, Johnathan's upper body begins to expand quickly. His shoulders push his head down slightly, towards the middle of his chest. His right arm begins to rupture and quiver. The claws on his left hands increase in size tremendously, his hand could easily crush skulls. His teeth extend out of his jaws, he can no longer close his mouth. His blue scales are beginning to fade to a murky color. A gigantic eye protrudes out of his right shoulder. His feet and lower body have grown slightly. His tail is aligned with spikes. Its whole body is covered in a fresh slime-like substance. The creature growls as its huge eye stares at me.

"Niiiiikkkkiiii!!!!" It manages to groan as it runs towards me.

I roll out of its path as it crashes into a nearby pillar, causing it to crumble. I fire two shots aimed towards its chest. The fusion lasers barely penetrate the creature's skin. I take a few steps back as it swipes its smaller arm towards me. It grabs me and lifts me up in the air as it growls. I cry out with pain, I can barely breathe. I aim my blasters at the monster's gigantic eye and pull the trigger. It releases me and I tumble to the ground. I cough uncontrollably as it snarls at me.

"Aim for it's eye Nikki!" Slippy shouts through the cage. "That's its weak-point!"

'_Thank you Mr. Obvious,_' I think sarcastically.

The abomination runs towards me again. I aim carefully at its eye and fire each blaster twice. It roars as it struggles to keep its balance. seeing an opening in its defenses I run up to some nearby rubble and lift a good sized rock. I hurl it at the creature's leg. I hear the sound of shattered bone as the creature falls flat on its face, or what is left of it anyway. It seems to grumble as it tries to stand.

"Grr...grahhh.... Niiiikkiiii!!!!" It gargles and squirms on the ground as I approach.

"Sorry Johnathan," I mumble as I draw my sword. "but I've got to make sure that what ever did this to you _never_ gets out."

I drive my sword into its eye as the creature shrieks. Fluid gushes out of its eye as I remove the blade. It shakes on the ground for a few more seconds before halting and growing silent. I breathe a deep sigh of relief and I notice that my whole team, along with Star Fox's team are no longer in the cage. Apparently, Scales has noticed this as well.

"Guards!" He roars from his throne. "Find the prisoners! Don't let them escape!"

I chuckle as I turn to face Scales. "It looks like your new world is a failure. You can't even keep track of eight people for a few minutes."

"Enough!" Scales says as he slams his fist down on his throne. "You think you've won Nikki? Think again..."

I hear an abrupt rumbling noise come from under the fallen pillar. I look over and see that Tigeress' body is moving again.

"No... that's not... possible," I mumble, trying to hide my fear.

What's left of Tigeress' body is quite the disgusting site to behold. Her left eye is hanging out of its socket. Her right ear is completely torn off, leaving only a cracked skull in its place. Her whole face is smashed in, and barely recognizable anymore. Her left arm is broken and hanging grossly from her shoulder. She hisses at me. It sounds like some sort of insect.

"What'd you _do_ to her?" I yell at Scales, bitterly angry. "That is _not_ the KV that I know."

"Your right," Scales remarks as he grins. "I lied about her having KV. Too bad you won't live long enough to discover the truth."

'_You're wrong... I'll find out everything,_' I mutter quietly.

Tigeress charges at me again, with the same blinding speed as before. I put my sword away as I kick her in the face. I hear her neck crack, yet she still comes at me without being stunned.

'_What the hell is this thing?_' I think instinctively.

She grabs me with her unbroken arm and braces me unto a nearby pillar. I start to choke as her grip tightens. Having no other option I grab my sword and cut off her arm. It hisses as it clutches its missing appendage. Tiny black tentacle-like organisms break out of her shoulder and begin to shape themselves into a brand new limb.

"What the..." I say aloud as I watch her slow transformation. "This ends now!"

I plunge my sword deep into her chest as she screams. I kick her with full force. Her body slams into one of the arena walls, causing it to crack. Just before she falls into the lava, her tentacle arm manages to grab onto the arena's ledge.

'_Not this time,_' I think mournfully.

I draw one of my blasters and fire it at the tentacles repeatedly. They ignite and lose their grip on the arena's edge. I hear the sound of hissing gas and more screaming as Tigeress' body is finally laid to rest. I suddenly hear the sounds of blaster fire and I look up towards the audience. My friend's have began to engage the pirates from all angles of the arena. The pirates are dropping like flies, some of them are falling into the depths of the chasm below. A look of fear brushes across Scales' face, he quickly hides it but I still noticed it. He presses another button on his throne, which activates a force field around him and seals the door behind him.

"If you incompetent pirates can't do the job," Scales laughs coldly. "Then I'll just have to train some more. Maybe I'll start looking in Fortuna for some young recruits."

"If you ever _touch_ my planet again, I'll kill you," I reply as coldly as he speaks.

"You'll be dead... before you know it Nikki," Scales laughs as I hear a loud roar come from behind me. "You should have listened to me. You cannot kill G."

"No... no... no!!!" I manage to scream as I run away from the noise.

I turn around and notice that the creature that Johnathan turned into starts moving again. It looks different than before. It has grown by at least five feet in height. the spikes on its tail have grown even longer. It's head has shrunk and grown more grotesque. It's whole body has grown even bigger. It's huge eye glares at me once again.

"Graaaahhhhh.... Niiiiikkkiii.... Nikkkiiii!!" It roars, it's voice is less human than before.

There are only two standing pillars left in the arena and it crushes both of them with ease. It runs towards me as I aim towards its eye. However it blocks most of the shots with its huge right fore claws.

'_Damn its getting stronger too..._' I mumble distastefully.

I run out of its way as it drives its right arm into the wall behind me causing rubble to fall into the lava below. The few pirates that are left are in a state of panic.

I hear several screams as I notice pirates are being thrown into the arena.

"Here!" I hear Panther yelling from somewhere above me. "Use these scumbags to distract that thing!"

I pull a pirate off of the ground and throw him towards the creature. The pirate screams as the creature impales him and tears his body in half. Holding two halves of a pirate has left it vulnerable. I fire repeatedly at its eye. It growls at me as it drops the pirate's body and runs towards me again.

Just before it reaches me a dead pirate lands on its head.

"Take this ya big bully!" Slippy bellows as he fires his blaster at the creature.

"Slippy!" I yell, aggravated. "Be careful!"

The creature is about to slam the support beam that's holding Slippy up. I jump up onto the creatures head and fire at it continuously.. It screams as it loses its balance. I struggle to stand on top of it as it falls into the heated crevice. I just manage to grab the ledge as I feel something grab my leg. I scream as I look down. The creature is holding onto my foot with its tail. Growling at me uncontrollably. I struggle for breath as I hold myself up.

"Let her go!" I hear Panther yell as I hear multiple blasters go off. The grip on my foot loosens as the creature falls into the lava, struggling to stay alive. I climb unto the arena floor.

"Thank you." I say to Panther above me.

Scales sighs deeply as he rubs his forehead.

"I've surrounded myself with fools," Scales complains. "My empire... will _never_ be defeated!"

"You're wrong!" Falco yells. "It's over Scales. Tell us where Peppy is and we'll leave you unharmed."

"Peppy is on Corneria with Gatorbile. They're retrieving something for me," Scales says coldly. "You will not stop it. You're small victory here means _nothing_. You've won the battle, but I'm about to win the war."

All of a sudden, my friends are bound with some type of blue colored magic. They're carried into the air.

"Ack!" Slippy yells. "What is this?"

"Let me... go!" Diego and Scarbb command, almost at the same time.

"You won't... get away..." Panther strenuously says.

The force field around Scales disappears as he jumps down to the arena. He's covered in a light blue aura.

"Behold!" Scales cackles evilly. "The Krazoa's power flows through me! I will _never_ surrender! You can never defeat me! I am a God!"

I draw my sword and hostler my blasters as I grin.

"We'll see about that." I reply quickly. "Your madness is at and end. This will be your final hour on this planet..."

***

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Sauria, two distinct ships make their decent on the planet.

"Let's hope we're not too late," One of the pilots states bluntly.

"We won't be," The other one replies. "We'll save all of them. We will be able to save your sister's life..."


	20. The Final Showdown

**Chapter 19: The Final Showdown**

Scales stares at me cunningly as he pulls a massive sword out of a cabinet near his throne. He cackles as he jumps down to the arena floor, cracking it slightly.

"I will rend your head from your shoulders Nikki! It will be mounted on my wall!" Scales roars at the top of his voice as he dashes toward me.

I fire my blasters at his head, but the blue aura surrounding his body absorbs the lasers.

"Hahahaha!" Scales laughs evilly. "You're gonna have to do better than that Nikki!"

I jump over his sword as I hostler my blasters. I run up the huge claymore and kick his face with all my might. He yells as he is propelled straight into the arena's balcony. The impact shatters it in half, which causes his throne to tumble into the darkened crevice. He laughs more as he lifts his fist into the air.

"Nice try Nikki," He bellows. "But the power of the Krazoa flows through my veins. You cannot defeat me! No one can!"

Lightning begins to rupture out of his hand, which consumes half of the arena with electricity. I try to flee from its spread but some of the energy shoots up my leg. I tumble to the ground in pain, smoke rising from my body. I climb back to my feet slowly just in time to notice Scales ripping out chunks of rock from the wall behind him. They fly towards me, covered in a blue aura. I dodge a few of them, which explode in a flash of blue light. Angrily I grab one with my hands and cast it back towards Scales. It almost hits Scales' chest, but he ducks just in time. He laughs again as he jumps back down to the arena.

"Now that's how I like to fight!" Scales taunts. "Is that all you got?"

Using Krazoa magic, Scales lifts some lava from the arena's pit and casts it at me. I'm forced to roll out of the way as most of the arena behind me dissolves. I hide behind the last free standing pillar as I try to gather my thoughts.

'[i]I've got to lessen the distance between me and him. If I get close enough, I'll be able to drive my sword right through him.[/i]' I ponder quietly.

I come out from behind the pillar and I see that Scales is standing over me. He grabs me by the neck and lifts me into the air. I begin to choke as I struggle to remove his hand.

"Now now... don't you know that you cannot hide from me?" Scales snarls calmly.

I start to lose my breath as kick my feet into his abdomen, but it's no use.

"Nikki!" I hear Panther yell. "Let her... go you bastard!"

Scales holds up his dual hook in front of my eyes. They're so close that I can feel them pressured on my skin.

"Do you remember doing this to me?" Scales roars bitterly. "You humiliated me a long time ago. Now you'll finally be paying the price, with your life!"

He throws me over his head as I fall into the pit. I scream as brace my feet and back against the edge of the arena and support pillar in a desperate attempt to avoid the magma below. I stop sliding just as I get around ten feet from the lava. I hear the mournful outcries of my comrades as they lament my "death". Scales simply cackles loudly as he begins to taunt my friends. I attempt to silently crawl up towards the arena again. After about a minute, I'm halfway up when Scales looks down and sees me.

"Ahhh!" He screams in a fit of anger. "Damn you Nikki!"

I hear the sound of a sword being swung through the air. I'm twenty feet from the arena ledge when I notice Scales is above me, holding his sword downward.

"Dodge this you *****!" He yells as he throws the sword down vertically.

With a quick kick I manage to flip myself upward for a split second, allowing the sword to pass by me.

"Dammit!" Scales yells, obviously pissed off. "Why won't you die!"

Drawing my sword and lifting myself out of the pit, I smile.

"Why don't you die first?" I ask rhetorically.

With all my strength I try to ram my sword into his chest. However the sword gives off sparks, heats up and shatters all over the ground. Leaving only the burning hilt in my hand. I curse as I drop the blade and clutch my hand.

"You fool..." Scales spits bitterly. "Nothing can penetrate me. Not lasers, not metal and surely not you. The Krazoa's power has given me invincibility. I cannot be stopped with a sharp object. Not _this_ time Nikki."

Scales punches me square in the chest and I slam into the last free standing pillar, cracking it.

"You know..." Scales chuckles lightly. "I have learned from my mistakes. _You_ obviously haven't."

Images of my uncle's death flash through my memory as I break out in tears. Scales picks up the burning tip of the shattered sword and drives it into my shoulder. I cry out in agony as the sharp shard is removed. The pain is excruciating.

"I will never surrender!" I scream through tears. "You... will not succeed."

Scales laughs again before stabbing me in the stomach, this time he leaves the scalding blade in. "I already won the war, you are the one that has _failed_ Nikki. Your friend's, your allies, your _people_ are all going to die because of _you._"

I start to choke on my own blood. "No... that will never happen." I blurt out impulsively. "You... will be brought down even if... I... die."

"You're _wrong_," Scales taunts proudly. "I will never be stopped. I will rule... for an eternity. You and all your pathetic kind will be wiped out. There will be no one to stand up to me once you have fallen!"

I continue sob uncontrollably. I start to feel dizzy from my massive blood loss. I feel powerless... this must be what it felt like right before my uncle died.

"I swear," I utter softly. "If I ever come back from the dead... I'll kill you myself."

Scales lifts me into the air as approaches the arena's edge.

"No..." Scales laughs. "There is... no.. afterlife. Your soul will be extinguished here and now."

I suddenly hear a loud shout come from above me.

"Scales!" The familiar voice yells. "Let her go at once!"

"What the hell?" Scales says as he drops me onto the floor and holds his hand above his eyes.

My vision is blurred but I see someone with a glowing sword drop down from the spectating area. I hear a loud roar as Scales screams with fear and anguish. The blade seems to have cut into Scales' shoulder. His attacker strikes again with another thrust aimed at Scales' arm. It's cleaved right off this time as lands in front of me. Blood and blue colored energy pour out from the wound as Scales falls into the small pit. After a few seconds distraught roaring, a azure-colored explosion of light expels from the crevice. It consumes everything around the arena, but it's surprisingly not painful. In fact, it's quite soothing. I suddenly feel a rush of warmth penetrate my skin as the pain from my wounds fades. After a small amount of time, the burning sensation goes away completely.

I see clearly once again and I notice that Fox is holding onto the glowing, blue-tinted sword. I recognize it as my father's blade.

"Fox!" I yell joyfully. "You're alive!"

"I could say the same thing about you Nikki," Fox chuckles as he holds the sword's hilt in front of me. "This belongs to you. We stole it from Scales about a week ago. I knew I'd need it against Scales' new power."

"Thank you," I say quickly as I hide the blade underneath my coat. "You did what I could not."

I hug him tightly as I see Wolf behind him. He's staring at me with a great joy in his eyes. He runs up to me and embraces me softly, I'm slightly surprised. His sign of affection is a brotherly one, not one of romance but one of relief and tender compassion.

"Thank god you're alive," He cries out. "I thought we came too late."

"Wolf are..." I stutter slightly. "Are you the one? Are you my brother?"

"Half," He responds as he releases me. "We have the same father. It's... complicated but I'll explain when we have a moment to ourselves."

Everyone is quickly released from their magical binds. A strange creature begins to take form in front of us. It's whole body seems to fade in and out at a rhythmic rate. It towers over everyone and begins to speak in a deep voice as Panther and I embrace each other. I feel truly happy for the first time that I can remember. Everyone I care about is alive and well, and a great villain has fallen.

"Heroes of Lylat, I am the eldest of the Krazoa." The spirit speaks with disdain. "First of all let me thank all of you for stopping Scales, his reign of terror has come to a halt. However your journey is not yet over, sadly it has only begun. You must go to Corneria and capture the last of your enemies. Only then will each of you see your true path to destiny. To payback the debt we owe you for saving us, we will repair the damage that has been done to the Lylat system. Every planet shall prosper like it did prior to Scales' empire."

All of a sudden, dozens of smaller Krazoas fly through the arena's ceiling, to the surface above. A rich aura of light surrounds everything around us. The air begins to smell soft and refreshing.

"Hold on my heroes..." The krazoa speaks. "I will teleport you to the surface. Your older flying machines should be in the ruins of Scales' hanger. Along with a few new machines that should be to your liking."

I feel a rushing, tingling feeling sweep over me as me vision blurs for a few seconds. Afterwards, I see the surface of Sauria. Right before our very eyes the planet's fauna begins to grow rapidly. within a couple of minutes, the pollution surrounding everything has completely vanished. The air is rich and moist. I notice the huge hanger off in the distance. We all begin to approach it as Wolf speaks to me.

"I uh... got something to tell you Nikki. Something that will probably upset you." Wolf says with a regretful tone.

"Well," I say softly, believing I can take it. "What is it?"

Wolf gets a sad look in his eyes, as a memory flashes through me. As I see it through my head, I can hear Wolf's voice, narrating in the back of my mind...

_My father had an affair with your mother about ten years after I was born. Your Cerinian father isn't your biological one. Anyway, after my father was discovered, he vanished. I never heard from him again. My mother died shortly afterward so I had no one. When I was sixteen your uncle took me under his wing. I had no one else in my family. A couple years afterward, you showed up. You were quite young, still a toddler._

_About a month before the Lylat Wars, I left you and him. I will never forgive myself for what happened that night..._

_My mind flashes back to that night as well. I don't know why. I peek my head into a room as I see my uncle and Wolf arguing._

_"You cannot leave Wolf," I hear my uncle say. "You are far too reckless."_

_"I can do whatever the hell I want James," Wolf snaps as he continues to pack a small duffle-bag full of clothes. "I'm an adult now!"_

_"You may look like one," James scoffs. "But you still act like a child. You need more time to know your place in the universe."_

_"I will not stand here and listen to this!" Wolf barks again. "I can make it on my own. Venom's army is hiring I'll... get a job in the military or something. Plus that's what Leon and Pigma are doing."_

_"Is that really what you want?" James replies comfortingly. "A life of violence and bitter rivalry?"_

_"It's my path..." Wolf replies as he picks up his sack of belongings and begins walking towards me. "One that I must take."_

_I coo loudly as my uncle picks me up._

_"Your sister needs you here Wolf." James says with sorrow. "Please... don't break her heart."_

_Wolf steps out onto the porch, before saying. "She's too young to have her heart broken. I'm sorry but I must leave."_

_"Gaga!" I mumble as I wave at Wolf, unaware of what's happening._

_I see Wolf get in some type of ship and fly away. I cry loudly as the small fighter fades into the sky..._

Tears fill my eyes as I wipe them.

"I'm so sorry Nikki," Wolf speaks with sincerity. "It's my fault. If I hadn't left I could have protected you _and_ him."

I feel a deep feeling of regret and remorse tear through me. I want to accept his apology but something inside of me is preventing it. A deep seeded emotion seems to be eating away at my innermost parts. A reality that seems to have revealed itself to me. Everyone's mistakes effect those they love and care about the most, which punishes them even when they've done nothing wrong. I must not let it affect me... what's done is done. He's my brother, I must let this go.

"I forgive you," I manage to cry out. "We've all done... horrible things that we wish we could undo. I have something that I must tell you too."

We walk the rest of the way in silence. As we tread carefully, the grass is growing underneath us almost instantaneously. The leaves on the trees seem to glow brightly, as if they're healing from the inside out. The very air around us seems to shine, the nauseating stench of death has completely faded.

We reach the hanger after about an hour and it slides open. Inside are four crisp wolfens, along with five arwings. They seem to be cleaner than I remember, perhaps the Krazoa restored them to working order. Besides our old fighters there are two more newer ones. Both are painted black, with spikes along the wings and near the rear engines. The body is slightly thinner than a arwing, but not nearly as thin as a wolfen.

Diego coughs before speaking. "Uh Fox? I've uh, been meaning to tell you something for a while."

"What is it Diego?" Fox replies concernedly.

"I'd like to join your team. I'm quite handy with a rifle and piloting a ship," He remarks. "Besides, you guys need someone new to pick on right?"

"I guess we could always use the extra hand." Fox agrees, slightly impressed at his response. "And there_ is_ an extra arwing here. Perhaps the Krazoa anticipated this. Welcome to the team Diego."

"Thanks Fox," Diego smiles. "I won't let you down, I promise."

Wolf turns to me and casually asks. "What did you want to tell me Nikki?"

Everyone turns to face me as I get a deep ache in my stomach.

'_I shouldn't have said anything,_' I tell myself. '_I should have waited until we were alone. ****, what should I do?_'

I feel a deep swelling in my throat as I struggle to speak. "Wolf... I don't know how to tell you this but... do you remember the Cornerian ship I was on two years ago? The one that the pirates attacked?"

"Yeah," Wolf says without sensing my inner fear. "What about it?"

"I... um... uh," I struggle to find the right words. "I... was the one who caused it to crash."

"You what?" Wolf's expression changes to one of distraught. "What makes you believe that you could have done such a disastrous act?"

"I... was trying to stop the pirates from taking the secret weapon and," I cry out, jumbling my words together. "I couldn't stop them... I... had no other choice."

"No other choice?" Wolf barks objectively. "No... you could have done something else. Trying something, _anything_, else would have been worked fine but blowing up the ship was the worst thing you could have done!"

"I...didn't," I choke on my sentences again. "I didn't mean to hurt anyone. I was trying to protect those who I care about most..."

"How could you say that you protected anyone?" Wolf glares at me angrily. "You killed over two thousand Cornerians! I gave you explicit instructions not to kill anyone! You're a traitor!"

"Wolf I..." I cry out bitterly. "I'm sorry! Words cannot express the guilt I feel, the feelings of worthlessness that I've carried inside these past couple of years. If I had been the person back then that I am today, I'm sure that I would never hav-"

"Save it." He interrupts as he raises his hand. "Anyone who betrays me is not welcome here. You are no longer my sister... and you are no longer permitted in on _my_ team. Now leave, I don't ever want to see you again."

"You can't do that!" Panther protests bitterly. "Didn't you listen what she just told you? She had no other choice!"

"She had a choice, she chose the path of betrayal," Wolf counters. "She's dead to me."

I start to cry softly, but I quickly stop as the truth hits me harder than a rock.

'_I am a traitor_,' I think under my breath. '_My life cannot go back to the way it was before._'

"You can't treat your own flesh and blood like this!" Panther roars while still trying to defend me. "Didn't you once do the same thing years ago! You fought _with_ the wrong side during the Lylat Wars. You almost single-handedly destroyed the Lylat system!"

"I was blinded by my rage," Wolf scorns. "My past isn't relevant. This situation is different. She made a clear decision, one that wasn't clouded by anything whatsoever."

'_He's right,_' I ponder silently. '_This was different... I committed an unforgivable act. I cannot obtain any means of salvation..._"

He walks up to me and attempts to comfort me by holding onto me.

"Nikki," He smiles lightly. "I know you. You couldn't have done this on purpose. You are a good person."

"No Panther," I cry softly as I push him away, "I'm not. My soul has been tainted. This act cannot be forgiven. Not by you... not by _anyone._"

"You don't mean that," Panther begs, almost crying himself. "You can live your life for the good of others from this moment forward."

"I'm sorry Panther," I say as I turn away from him, unable to look into his eyes. "But you cannot save me. No one can, not after what I've done..."

I turn to Scarbb, who's looking at me with a great sense of guilt and empathy.

"Nikki I..." He struggles to find the right words. "I don't really know... what to say."

"Then say nothing," I comment lightly as I approach him.

"I just... don't know my path," He confesses with an ashamed tone. "If you were to leave... I'd be a nobody again."

"But you _do_ have a path spread out in front of your feet." I comfort Scarbb as I place my hand on his shoulder."Your fate lies in my brother's hands. He's the one you must protect and serve now. For me, for everyone. I hope you can please him in areas where I have failed."

"Yes Nikki," Scarbb replies distastefully. "I will do what I can in your place."

I take one last look at everyone before I get hop one of the dark colored fighters. Everyone has a look of sorrow and shock in their eyes, except for Wolf and Leon. Both are staring at me with their arms crossed, obviously pissed off. Wolf's expression is one of intense hate and distrust, while Leon seems to not be surprised in the slightest.

"Goodbye everyone. I'm sorry that it has to end like this." I manage to say, almost fearfully.

"Nikki!" Panther screams. "Wait! Don't go!"

"I have to... I'm sorry." I cry out, one last time.

As the glass cockpit covers me, I manage to see Panther holding Wolf up in the air, screaming at him. Just before it seals I notice that it's taking three people to keep Wolf and Panther separate. When it closes I hear nothing except the roar of my new ship. As I take off into the depths of space, a new purpose in life begins to run through my mind.

"Pirates..." I mumble. "I'll hunt down one at a time. Not one will escape my wrath. I will be feared by all evildoers everywhere. I will become a famous hero, along with my ship _The Punisher_. Once the pirates have been exterminated, I may find the salvation that I'm looking for. Until then however, I must fight."

Taking off in the direction of Corneria, I smile. Not because of joy or happiness, but because I know what I must do.

"Gatorbile will be the first to die." I reason, almost coldly. "I already know where he'll be."

I take off into the depths of space as the reality of my new life begins to sink in. No more family, no more friends. I must hold no more emotional attachments of any kind. Otherwise those around me could pay with their lives, just like those who's trust I misused long ago. My past will be erased. My name, forgotten. My evil deeds will not be remembered. I need a new alias... something that the people will remember for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.

Things will be different now, I will make amends. The innocent will no longer suffer under the wicked. _They_ will be the ones brought down. I'll bring them to their knees. They will flee from me with fear in their hearts. They will try to escape and hide, but they will fail. They will taste the agony of defeat. It's _their_ turn to die.

***(Epilogue, narration kinda thing.)

And that's how it was. The war had ended. However, it's conclusion would soon bring about more cataclysmic, life altering events. More so then anyone could have foreseen. In the process, Nikki had become cold and indifferent towards everyone she met. Her only purpose in life became a dark one. It was simply to kill the bastards that destroyed her own, devious criminals. While on Sauria, she vanished without a trace. No one knew why or how.

Scarbb joined Star Wolf, thus fulfilling Nikki's final wish to her brother. They departed from Sauria without saying goodbye to anyone, which meant that Star Fox had to deal with Gatorbile on their own. Their current location is unknown. Bill Grey ended up back on Corneria and eventually became the right-hand man to the Cornerian Senate's highest officials.

Star Fox also went to Corneria in an attempt to find Gatorbile and Peppy. However, their efforts failed, Gatorbile had gone into hiding, taking Peppy with him. Despite a massive planetary search they found nothing. Until a day, almost six months after Scales' defeat.

It is on this day that part two of this epic tale begins. Alliances will fall, trust will be misused. Traitors... will finally be revealed. Can everyone team up once again to stop the oncoming madness? Or is the end of the Lylat System finally coming? Only time will tell...

* * *

If you want to find the continuation to this story, search for Seething Betrayal. It is rated M. Thank you for reading Part 1 and I hope you'll enjoy part 2.


End file.
